Jyuubi Jinchuuriki's Immortality: Part Three: A New World Ahead
by Sonea Storm Shadow
Summary: Sonea's back but so is Naruto from his training with Jiraiya. How will they work together to stop Akatsuki from taking their bijuu? And what about her newly found love life with the Copy nin? Follows cannon from Shppuden and please read the other parts first (Even though they suck: One, Two and Training) Oc x Kakashi lemon later on so not for young readers.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Alright guys! The final installment of Jyuubi Jinchuuriki's Immortality! Thanks for waiting so long and for those who have found this, please read the other parts: One, two and the two years of training before you read this or you'll get lost and i'm sorry my writting in the beginning sucked but it's gotten better. Love you all guys and R&R please, i appreciate it a lot especially for this story, my first story from part one.

Plot overview: Sonea Storm Shadow is now mortal like the rest of the world like she wanted… Under unfortunate circumstances. She had the Jyuubi yin chakra sealed into her and the yang was split among the nine bijuu. Her seal had an imbalance but was fixed by something called circle jutsu, tying seven ageless people to her and are her wolfish summonings to.

She came from an extinct vampire like clan with amazing abilities to do with blood but also ended up tying herself to Hatake Kakashi through a blood bond of love. The combination of her bloodline, the Fate seal and the Jyuubi's chakra which she took from it turned her immortal and lived with dragons for five hundred years before returning to the Senju's side of the warring states period. She watched the village pass by without her as a mysterious ANBU member named Raven. But now she is in the lifetime of Uzumaki Naruto and Akatsuki who want the Jyuubi resurrected and succeeding, her seal has stared to break and she was turned mortal again. Follow her and Naruto from the time of the Kazekage's retrieval arc to the end of the war over the bijuu.

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Sonea was vibrating at Konoha's gates as she could feel Naruto getting closer. She eventually couldn't take it and began running towards him down the main road. She saw Jiraiya say something to Naruto and Naruto brace himself just before Sonea tackled him in a hug, which he returned by lifting her off the ground and spinning her around so he wasn't stuck with the full impact of her. They both laughed happily as they hugged for a while longer before Sonea pulled back and looked at him.

"I missed you and look at how much you have grown." Sonea said to him and he blushed. They continued to walk towards the village with their arms around each other and talking about everything that had happened while they were away from each other. Naruto broke from the embrace, dropped his bag and raced up a concrete pillar.

"Getting excited already?" Jiraiya said as they watched him racing up the post to stand at the top. Sonea noticed Sakura and Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon walk over.

"This brings back memories. This place hasn't changed at all. Everyone, Uzumaki Naruto has returned." Naruto shouted from the post and Sonea shook her head with a wide grin plastered on her face.

"Is it true… It is!" Konohamaru said happily as they saw him on the post.

"Naruto… Naruto, is that you?" Sakura shouted up to him. "When did you get back Naruto?"

"Just now dattebayo." Naruto shouted down to them and jumped down to walk over to them. "It's been a while Sakura-chan." Naruto walked right up to her. They exchanged a few looks.

"You're taller than me, aren't you?" Sakura said to him and Naruto measured it with his hand.

"You're right." He said with a hint of disbelief.

"What do you think? Am I more womanly now?" Sakura asked with a bit of a blush.

"It's fine, you haven't changed at all." Naruto replied stupidly but before he could cover his hid like he did with Sonea once, he then continued to do his sexy jutsu in front of Sakura to compare against Konohamaru. Sakura punched him across the street and Sonea began to laugh while Konohamaru and his team hid behind Jiraiya and Sakura stalked over to him with anger. She started to yell and shake him violently while Jiraiya had a scared look on his face.

"Okay, enough you two. We need to see Tsunade to alert her of your arrival." Sonea said, pulling Sakura off of Naruto and helping him up.

"See you later Naruto-niichan." Konhamaru called and quickly and ran off with his team. Jiraiya, Naruto, Sakura and Sonea made their way to the Hokage's Tower while they continued to catch up. Sonea disappeared after saying a quick excuse and jumped away to the roof of the Hokage's tower to see Kakashi sitting there patiently, watching Naruto enter the tower.

"He's grown up well, hasn't he?" Sonea startled Kakashi from behind and he quickly had her in his arms and kissing her through his mask.

"When did you get back?" He asked as they heard talking from the Hokage's office.

"Late last night and when I woke up I could sense Naruto getting closer so I went to see him… So Tsunade is making you fight against those two?" Sonea asked when Tsunade mentioned them fighting a certain someone.

"Yeah, we will hopefully be a team again after the bell test… You're coming to watch right?" He asked, squeezing her closer to him. Sonea smiled and placed her hands on his biceps.

"I wouldn't miss it." Sonea said with another quick kiss and they pulled away and Kakashi sat down lazily while Sonea leaned against the wall as Naruto opened the window.

"You've gotten big Naruto… Yo." He gave his salute, reading his stupid red book again. Naruto's face lightened up quickly and Sonea closed her eyes with a smile on her face.

"Kaka-sensei! Sensei, you haven't changed at all… Ah, that's right." Naruto said, hopping out of the window, landing on his haunches and began to dig in his pouch. Sonea noticed Tsunade and Sakura come over to the window and watch.

"Look here, I have something for you Kaka-sensei." Naruto said, pulling out a little green and familiar looking book and she dropped her head in defeat… Damn those books.

"What! Y-you… Th-th-th-this is…" Kakashi said, hovering his hand over it like it was gold or it was going to bite him.

"You see, this is the first new book from the Icha Icha series in three years. It's really boring. But you like it, don't you, Sensei?" Naruto asked as Kakashi took it from him gently and opened it like there was a golden light shining from it.

"Okay! Stop goofing off now Kakashi." Tsunade ordered. Kakashi closed the book and stood up with Naruto.

"It can't be… My opponent is suppose to be you." Naruto said jumping back into Tsunade's office again.

"Mmm, that's not quite right either." Kakashi said walking over towards the window and Sonea followed them and sat on the windowsill next to the open one. "My, it's been a while since I saw you Sakura." Kakashi greeted her.

"Yes it has Kaka-sensei." She said back.

"I'm going to fight against… Naruto and Sakura." Kakashi said, jumping on his haunches next to Sonea on the windowsill and Sonea smirked and looked out into the village. "The two of you together."

"Kaka-sensei is our opponent?" Naruto asked Tsunade with surprise.

"Just how far can you go with Kakashi as your opponent? I'll decide how to deal with you depending on those results." Tsunade said.

"How to deal with them huh?" Shikamaru spoke up.

"Sakura, it's not like you have been wasting your time while working under me." Tsunade said with pride.

"Right!" Sakura said back.

"So then, shall we get started now? Well, that's what I would like to say. Naruto's probably tired after just getting back. I'll give you a bit of time to rest up." Kakashi said evilly and Sonea sighed again… Damn those books, she thought about killing Jiraiya right there.

"I'm not really tired." Naruto complained quickly, wanting to get going.

"I'll meet you at the third training ground. Later!" Kakashi suishinned away with his two-fingered salute. Sonea shook her head as they discussed what Kakashi was going to be doing.

"Well then, Naruto, Sakura and Jiraiya you are dismissed." Tsunade said to them and they left. Sonea swung her legs into the office and watched as Shikamaru and Temari picked up a document and left again. Sonea crossed one leg over and crossed her arms and looked out of the window across the room.

"Is there something you need Sonea?" Tsunade asked.

"No, not really. I left Sage in Suna. I… just feel very distracted today." Sonea said with furrowed brows.

"Well, would you like to do some mindless paperwork until Kakashi versus Naruto and Sakura?" Tsunade asked, hopeful. Sonea shrugged and got up to sort through some papers and sign them… one advantage to the sharingan.

Sonea sat in the tree that Tsunade was leaning on and Jiraiya in the tree next to it as they watched the match. Sonea pushed some chakra into her demon eyes to watch the entire thing.

Sonea watched with nostalgia as Naruto attacked before Kakashi said go again. She watched as Naruto had gained a lot of speed and flexibility but Sonea had been training Kakashi and he was a lot faster now and stopped Naruto like the old days but Naruto had a clone behind Kakashi, ready to strike.

"Not bad." Tsunade said.

"Amazing." Shizune said as they continued to watch on. The sun began to set and Sakura demolished the training ground, finding Kakashi quickly. Sonea began to laugh.

"Serves him right." Sonea muttered.

"All right. Well done." Tsunade said with pride. Naruto and Sakura continued to tag team against Kakashi and after primary lotus Kakashi used on Naruto, he was tiring. Though it was a bit sad that Naruto didn't get to land his 'Thousand Years of Pain'.

"This has gotten pretty interesting, hasn't it." Jiraiya said as he watched on with excitement.

"Naruto-kun and Sakura are doing pretty good." Shizune also said with excitement.

"The real fight has only just begun." Tsunade reminded them.

"That is true, it's not like Kakashi has been sitting around either." Sonea piped up with pride in her voice as well. "I think he needs to learn how to control his chakra again." Sonea said as she watched the giant fireball fly from Kakashi and the small river get emptied by his water jutsu.

"There is plenty of time until dawn… As long as he doesn't take things to far, we may see an end to this." Tsunade said with a chuckle. The battle continued on she heard Kakashi shout in outrage when she heard 'Icha Icha' and smirked.

"A brilliant ending against the copy ninja. Using his porn against him." Sonea said happily, jumping out of the tree. A cold wind blew past her back and made her shiver and look behind her from where it came from as a bad feeling creped up on her.

"I can't believe I went down like that… I should have just read it until the end earlier." Kakashi moaned while looking at his book. Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune were walking up to them.

"But man, it's amazing how much you like to read those boring books. Ero-Sennin lent me a copy, but it was so lame that I didn't read past ten pages. I actually have no idea how it ends." Naruto said truthfully. Kakashi pointed a finger at him in disbelief then slumped.

"Even though Naruto didn't know the ending, we figured that you'd react by just hearing Icha Icha Tactics. That was a good strategy, right?" Sakura asked and Kakashi just groaned.

"I've seen how you two have grown." Tsunade said as they closed the last bit of a gap between the two groups.

"Master." Sakura said, happily surprised.

"Kakashi, do you have anything you'd like to say?" Tsunade asked the slumping man.

"Well, they did an excellent job on stealing the bells from me." Kakashi said with defeat and Tsunade agreed. Naruto and Sakura looked confused for a few seconds.

What are you guy's talking about?" Naruto asked.

"About what we are going to do with you two." Shizune clued them in.

"What you're going to do with us?" Naruto asked.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Tsunade ordered.

"Huh?" He answered, confused.

"Answer." Tsunade ordered.

"Yes." He answered firmly.

"Haruno Sakura."

"Yes." Sakura answered.

"You two and Hatake Kakashi, the three of you will form Team Kakashi from now on." Tsunade explained.

"Team Kakashi?" Sakura said, bewildered.

"Hey, um, what does that mean?" Naruto asked with excitement.

"The three of us will be teaming up in future missions. That's what it means. Unlike before, we are no longer teacher and student. We'll work together as equal Konoha shinobi. Got it?" Kakashi said happily.

"Yeah! I got it." Naruto replied excitedly. Sonea walked with Tsunade after she gestured for her to follow as they began their walk back to the village in a round about way.

"You're stalling." Sonea said bluntly and Tsunade sighed and smiled.

"Jiraiya told me about what happened with Naruto when you showed up. Thanks for saving the idiot, anyway, I'm worried that something like that may happen again." She said, lost in thought.

"And what does this have to do with me?" Sonea asked curiously.

"I will be putting you as an unofficial member of Team Kakashi for now to replace the missing member that only I will know about and you will only join them on more dangerous missions where it is possible that Naruto could lose control. Is that okay with you Sonea?" Tsunade asked seriously and Sonea nodded her head.

"I understand, does Kakashi know? And you do know that being close to the Kyuubi will place more stress on the seal." Sonea reminded.

"I will tell Kakashi later and it is the only risk I can take right now with the council watching Naruto like a hawk, it won't be long before they realise something is up and try to step in but if I place you now, they won't be able to do anything as you out rank them in these matters." Tsunade said with a sly smile and Sonea smiled along with her. "I am sorry for having to put you through more pain unfortunately but if I try to place Tenzo on the team, Danzo may get involved and I don't want that right now." Tsunade said. They went their separate ways, bidding each other night as they went to sleep.

_The stress rolled off of Sage in waves as he watched Gaara fight Akatsuki. Kankuro and him took off after them but got poisoned by Sasori of the Red Sand and left for dead… The Ichibi is gone…_

Sonea was out of bed even before she realised she was awake and was dressing quickly… What she had wasn't a normal dream… It was Sage telling her what happened and right now she can't loose another circle member. She was flying towards the Aviary. She landed as a hawk from Suna did with an encrypted emergency code and her blood began to run cold. She followed it down to the T&I department for decoding and she knew what it said as the first few words were decoded.

'Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara has been kidnapped by a man ridding a white bird in a black coat with red clouds on it. We have internal spies within the system and request immediate back up.'

Sonea ran with the decoder to the mission office where Tsunade is and they both burst through the door and ran straight to Tsunade.

"There's an emergency, Gondaime!" She said, running into the room.

"What's all the commotion?" Tsunade asked. Sonea stopped next to Naruto, who was being strangled by Sakura and Kakashi just looked back at Sonea and then back to Tsunade.

"We recently received an emergency message from Suna." She said, a little out of breath.

"Suna?" Naruto asked and Sakura let him go.

" An emergency message? Tsunade asked with concern. The decoder handed over the message and Tsunade read it with a concerned frown.

"What?" They all read the message at the desk and were in varying degrees of shock. Kakashi returned next to his team and Sonea moved to a window to calm down a little.

"Suna's Kazekage has been kidnapped by Akatsuki." Tsunade alerted Team Kakashi. Sonea's heart was beating fast as she clenched her fists and let out a snarl at the name of Akatsuki.

"Gaara… Them again… " Naruto said in barely a whisper.

"We have more information regarding Akatsuki than they do. That is why they have requested assistance from us." Tsunade said calmly. Sonea was a bit annoyed at what Tsunade was about to do but knew it was the best coarse of action for now.

"Tsunade-sama! Don't tell me you're planning to send Team Kakashi?" Shizune asked with outrage.

"This is an emergency. We don't have time to be picky. Besides, Kakashi has fought against Akatsuki before and Sonea has become an unofficial member to my discrepancy." She said with reason and Sonea turned around to face the room again and stand next to Kakashi.

"That may be true but…" Shizune said with uncertainty.

"Team Kakashi, I'm assigning you a new mission. You are to go to Suna, find out more about the situation and send a report back to Konoha. You will also follow any of their orders and back them up." Naruto and Sakura saluted and ran off to get some things together. Tsunade gestured for Kakashi and Sonea to follow her to her office.

"Kakashi, I have placed Sonea as an unofficial member as she can out rank the council, concerning Naruto as well as her ability to control the Kyuubi to a point. I could not send Tenzo as Danzo could step in and I do not need that right now." Tsunade said with stress.

"That is understandable Tsunade-sama but I feel like we are playing right into their hands right now." Kakashi stressed his concern.

"They won't fight to the death to capture Naruto right away." Sonea piped up and they both looked at her. "They have to seal the bijuu in order or risk the whole system going out of whack, we have a chance. Now excuse me, I need to get ready." Sonea said with a bow before shimmering to her apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay i'll admit i'm not too happy with how these first few chapters turned out but i just couldn't edit them either so just bare with me, i think it gets better in my opinion so i'm sorry. But thanks to the big support so far by rakat14, Martinet Heleine, sage 1991, Hell's Butterflies, wolfmoon30 and Serenity10116 for favouriting/following already, i'll try not to disappoint you! R&R my lovelies!**

"Okay, we're off." Naruto shouted to Tsunade and Shizune.

"Until we return Tsunade-master." Sakura said and saluted. Tsunade nodded her reply.

"Naruto, do your best." Iruka said with a smile.

"You got it." Naruto said back to him. Kakashi walked in front with Naruto and Sakura behind him with Sonea at the back. Jiraiya jumped down in front of them.

"Oh, going on a mission, Naruto?" Jiraiya said. And Naruto replied a yes with a salute. Jiraiya walked past them to talk to Tsunade about Gaara and said that Team Kakashi was going as back up and Jiraiya whispered about it being a good idea.

"Naruto, come here for a second." Jiraiya called Naruto off to the side and warned him about what happens if he looses control and Naruto agreed not to use the Kyuubi's power. Jiraiya walked back over and stood between Kakashi and Sonea.

"Kakashi, Sonea, keep an eye on Naruto and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I'm counting on you." He said sternly with worry. Kakashi gave him an eye smile.

"Understood." He replied.

"I'll keep him in line, don't worry so much Jiraiya, you'll get wrinkles." Sonea said sweetly as she walked past him with a good clap on his back and Following after the group.

"Sonea." Kakashi caught her attention. "You left Sage in Suna, didn't you?" He asked with worry and curiosity.

"I did. Sage warned me this morning but he left with Kankuro after Akatsuki but they have both been wounded pretty badly and so we need to hurry, if what I heard right from Sage, the poison will kill them in three days." She said with a bit of strain, not loud enough for Naruto and Sakura to hear. Kakashi narrowed his eye.

"You can't afford to lose one of your circle members right now." He stated.

"I know." She said sadly as they continued on.

"Naruto, I know we're in a hurry but don't get so far ahead of us." Sakura asked nicely.

"But, but…" Naruto said with desperation.

"Don't get so worked up. Jiraiya-sama said the exact same thing, didn't he?" Kakashi warned.

"Seriously." Sakura complained. "Temari-san." Sakura called to Temari as she was spotted and she stopped as they landed next to her. Kakashi then explained what happened to her calmly.

"What!? Gaara was…" She asked and Kakashi nodded.

"It'll take us two days to get to Suna. Let's move." Kakashi ordered. And they took off again, this time, Sonea kept up next to Naruto to keep him safe if anything happened as she was the only one who could keep up his stamina for such a long time to keep some peace to Kakashi's mind.

"Naruto, what did we just say?" Stick together…" Sakura began and Sonea knew that Naruto was not in the mood to be lectured.

"I can't take this! I know why they are after Gaara and me. Sakura-chan, you know why too, don't you? Inside of me… The Kyuubi is sealed inside of me. Gaara and I… We both have monsters inside our bodies. That's what those guys are after. I… Hate it! They just see us as monsters. I can't stand the way they view us. He was just like I was. And he fought all on his own a lot longer than I did. He's been targeted by Akatsuki. We're the same again. And despite that, why does everything bad always have to happen to him? It's always him! That's why… That's why I can't waste a second. This time, I want to save him as fast as I can!" Naruto stated as tears began to well up in his eyes. Sonea moved close to him and brushed their shoulders together for comfort and he seemed to relax slightly at the small amount of contact as they rushed ahead together. The sun began to come up again and soon enough it was midday.

"That's enough. Soldier pills are for emergencies only. Girls your age shouldn't overeat..." Kakashi warned Sakura but she bit into it anyway and pushed forward to Naruto and Sonea.

"Naruto… You've met him before, haven't you? Uchiha Itachi. And he's after you. It's not like I did nothing but train for two and a half years. I had full access to Tsunade's library and I used it as much as I could. And now I have a link to something I've always wanted to know more about. The person Sasuke-kun wants to kill is his brother, Itachi. He's a member of Akatsuki… That's why Sasuke-kun is with Orochimaru, trying to become more powerful. But Orochimaru's goal is to take over Sasuke-kun's body and we only have half a year left. Orochimaru was originally a member of Akatsuki, what I'm trying to say is the closer we get to Akatsuki the closer we get to finding information on Orochimaru. And the closer we get to him, we get closer to Sasuke-kun." Sakura concluded and Naruto agreed. Sonea fell back next to Kakashi for a while, while Sakura kept up with Naruto.

"Don't worry about Sakura, she's a medic nin now and I'm sure she knows what she's doing." Sonea tried to reassure Kakashi as he felt like he wasn't needed anymore and she gave him the sweetest smile she could which visibly made him feel better. That night they took a rest but Sonea stayed in her meditate sleep pose to keep a watch on Naruto.

"Let's head out." Kakashi said from the floor. Sonea stood up and began again next to Naruto. Sakura eyed Sonea suspiciously as she took her medication but said nothing. They finally reached the desert.

"I'll take the lead from here." Temari said.

"We're counting on you." Kakashi said as they carried on again through the desert and Sonea took the opportunity to spread her wings and shield them from the sun at the same time. Unfortunately a sand storm snuck up on them and they had to take shelter in a cave and Naruto became annoyed.

"We're so close to Suna. I can't wait anymore!" Naruto said as he began to get up but Kakashi caught his shoulder.

"Naruto! I told you not to get impatient, didn't I?" Kakashi scolded him.

"But…" He whined.

"Just deal with it. Temari-san is the one who is upset the most." Sakura pointed out.

"Whenever there is a sand storm, it's best to sit it out. It's very easy to loose your way once you head into one. It's because they try to fight through the storms that you always hear about people who die, wondering the desert. It'll be fine, this shouldn't continue for much longer." Temari explained.

"Please let it up soon." Naruto pleaded outside. The storm did let up and we continued running all the way to the hospital. Sonea could feel Sage getting weaker and weaker and was worried that they may be to late to save both him and Kankuro. They entered the hospital and waited by the door. The elders Chiyo and Ebisu were there to, unfortunately Chiyo had lost it since her younger days.

"Curse you, prepare yourself!" She yelled, running for Kakashi. Sonea slid in front of Kakashi while Naruto went to intercept Chiyo.

"Why the hell are you attacking Kaka-sensei, you wrinkly old bitch?" Naruto demanded and Sonea smirked at the nickname, still waiting to defend Kakashi if need be.

"Konoha's white fang! How dare you, you wretched scum. How long I've waited to avenge my son. This is for him." Chiyo said with anger on her face.

"Um, I'm not…" Kakashi began.

"No excuses." She warned but her brother stepped in front of her to stop her and reminded her that he died a long time ago.

"Just kidding. I was just pretending to be senile." She said, laughing. Sonea and Kakashi just sighed in relief and disbelief. Sakura moved to Kankuro as he began to struggle and began to look at him. Sonea's expression became pained as she saw Sage in the same condition.

"Kaka-sensei and everyone else please stand back, I'll take a look at them." Sakura said, tying back her hair. Sonea stepped back reluctantly and Kakashi held onto her shoulders in comfort while she watched on. Kakashi eventually pulled her to sit down next to him as they watched on.

She gasped as her vision became clearer, like the sharingan appearing and her seal began to burn. She closed her eyes tightly against the pain as she forced her muscles not to shake… They already had to many patients. She placed a genjutsu over her eyes with one quick movement that no one noticed and slipped another painkiller down her throat in one gulp.

"Sonea…" Kakashi called and waved his hand in front of her face as she opened her eyes. "Sakura's is calling you." He pointed to the room. She got up and walked over to Sakura who was working tirelessly on Kankuro.

"I don't know if I'll get to Sage in time." She said with strained concentration as an idea hit Sonea.

"Is Star able to do this?" Sonea asked quickly and Sakura faulted for a split second before regaining her composure.

"Yeah, her or Ino or Fall or Tsunade or Shizune but it will take them days to get here." She said, dumping the poison again. Sonea smiled with relief.

"Summoning Jutsu." Sonea performed and Fall and Star appeared and transformed quickly to their human form. "Sakura, direct them, they can save him." Sonea said quickly before returning to her seat.

"Hey, Kaka-sensei, who is the White Fang of Konoha?" Naruto asked Kakashi who snapped his book closed and looked up in a thinking pose.

"Well, let's see… I guess you could say… my Father." Kakashi said with a strained laugh at the end and Sonea could see that he still hadn't gotten over his father's suicide.

They got a message a little while later about reinforcements, Guy's team. Sakura was busy making an antidote as Kankuro and Sage are no longer in danger and were resting.

"All right, we don't have time to take it easy. Let's go after Akatsuki right now." Naruto said, already running off.

"Perusing them, that's a great idea… You know where they are?" Kakashi asked and Naruto froze. "If I may ask… how are you tracking them?" Kakashi asked Baki.

"Kankuro and Sage went out first and ended up like that. Afterwards I sent out a perusing squad but there's been no word from them. Considering the situation, they're probably already… Also, one of the village's superiors has gone missing, I'd like to think he wasn't taken down so easily " Baki informed Kakashi, Naruto and Sonea who was now standing next to Kakashi.

"So, you've completely lost track of them?" Kakashi asked to confirm.

"Yes, unfortunately." Baki said with regret. They all walked into the room together as Kankuro regained consciousness and Kakashi asked to be taken to where Kankuro was found to begin tracking. But luckily Kankuro managed to swipe a piece of cloth with their scent on it already. Kakashi them summoned his ninken to start the search for the scent and Naruto and Pakkun greeted each other enthusiastically.

"Fall, Star, you guys take a whiff to and alert the pack before you leave back to Konoha, thanks for your help." Sonea instructed the blue and pink wolf as they got the scent and went out to. Sakura came in a while later and gave Kankuro and Sage the antidote and were told to get a lot of rest.

"You guys should call it a day. We have rooms ready for you." Baki informed the Konoha team and Kakashi took them up on the offer as it would get rough the next day. Sonea and Sakura were sharing a room and Naruto with Kakashi. Sakura was lying on her bed with a bit of exhaustion while Sonea stared at herself in the mirror. She released the genjutsu and saw the tomoe of the sharingan appear in one eye and Sonea knew right away that the sealing of the Ichibi was going on. She placed her hands on the rim of the sink and hung her head in slight exhaustion and sadness, Naruto was already failing his promise to Gaara's siblings and himself.

"Sonea… You don't look to good, do you want me to check you?" Sakura asked from the bathroom door, Sonea quickly replaced the genjutsu and put a smile on her face before looking up at her through the mirror.

"No, it's fine Sakura, it's just a bit of stress, Sage is a teammate of mine so I was worried about him so I guess I'm just exhausted. Some sleep will fix it… Night." Sonea said, slipping past her and getting into bed.

The team with Chiyo were on the move the next morning and heading to the river country where Pakkun followed the scent to. Guy's team was meeting them there.

"Naruto, can I ask you something?" Sakura asked Naruto and Naruto nodded. "How long have Akatsuki been after you?" She asked.

"I don't know." He answered quietly.

"Two members of Akatsuki once came to Konoha in attempt to take Naruto. That was three years ago and now they're starting to move again. I don't know the reason why though." Kakashi informed Sakura.

"Why would they wait three years?"" Sakura asked.

"I assume they wanted to go after him again but couldn't. Probably because Jiraiya-sama was with him the entire time." Kakashi thought.

"No, The information I have gives a different reason. It takes a lot of preparation to pull a bijuu out once it's been sealed into a person. That's why they were delayed." Chiyo explained and Sonea bit her lip in remembrance of her Sensei. Chiyo then began to explain about the bijuu to Sakura and how each village had hoped to turn them into weapons, jinchuuriki.

"Someone's ahead of us." Sonea suddenly stopped.

"Everyone stop!" Kakashi ordered from the front. There stood Uchiha Itachi, waiting out in the open. Sonea instantly activated the sharingan using some of the Jyuubi's chakra, which was painful but bearable.

"It's been a while Kakashi-san, Sonea-sensei and Naruto-kun." Itachi said calmly.

"I'm going to kick your asses!" Naruto threatened and Sonea saw the genjutsu already taking effect from the flick of his finger that Sonea secretly admired.

"Everyone, don't look into his eyes or you're finished." Kakashi warned as he stepped forward and Sonea pushed forward to be his back up.

"Itachi, how bad has your eyesight become?" Kakashi asked him while revealing his sharingan. Itachi seemed pained for a while but becoming hard afterwards.

"Kakashi-san, you couldn't have…" Itachi began but stopped. Sonea kept quiet as her confused feelings for Itachi arose again and it strangely ached having to fight him with Kakashi.

"Well, I may have let my guard down last time, but I'm no slouch, you know. Things will be different this time." Kakashi warned him and Sonea readied herself against Itachi.

"Naruto, please stay back this time." Sonea said, surprising everyone. "Kakashi and I have the sharingan and that will be more than enough to take him down, Uchiha or not. But you will be our back up if need be. Now, shall we get this show on the road Itachi?" Sonea said calmly and Itachi smiled as did Sonea. Itachi raised a finger but this time caught everyone but Kakashi and Sonea in the genjutsu.

"I'll attack first." Kakashi said, charging forward and Sonea followed as a shadow behind him and took out the shadow clone of Itachi's as it swung around the side. They both began to tag team against him. Kakashi took him head on while Sonea covered for the rest of the group under the genjutsu. It carried on for a while until Sonea got close enough to pump a little chakra into Sakura to end the genjutsu.

"Sakura, wake Chiyo and Naruto by pumping a bit of chakra into them to disrupt the flow of chakra to dispel the genjutsu." Sonea said, taking out another clone that attacked from behind. Kakashi flew back as did Itachi and Sonea returned to his side.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Kakashi asked. And he was explained to about the situation. "Alright, time to get serious. Get it together Naruto." Kakashi said and Sakura snapped him out of it again. Kakashi charged forward and Itachi began making hand seals for mythical firebird technique which Kakashi dodged easily and Itachi came back with a great fireball jutsu that Sonea combated against with the water dragon jutsu with no water around, like the Niidaime Hokage could do. Naruto, Chiyo and Sakura scattered and Kakashi used the block of Sonea's body to ready his Lightning Blade. She jumped out of the way as Kakashi charged but Itachi jumped and Naruto just missed him with a rasengan. Sonea stayed in the air as Kakashi used the hidden mist technique and waited for the signal to attack.

Kakashi appeared out of the ground and missed Itachi by centimetres but Itachi caught his shadow clone and Naruto charged out with an Oodama Rasengan that hit him dead on with an amazing explosion. Sonea landed with the group and looked at the corpse that wasn't Itachi's but Suna's missing superior, Yuura and had been missing since Gaara's disappearance and a supposed spy for Akatsuki.

"They were stalling for time." Sonea said, looking at the man.

"Yes, time to extract the bijuu." Chiyo concluded and Kakashi agreed. She started to write a letter back to Suna and explain to Sakura about what a jinchuuriki is and how it is extracted. Sakura felt angry and confused at what she was being told.

"A jinchuuriki that has their bijuu extracted from them will… Die." Chiyo concluded. Sonea closed her watering eyes, not wanting to listen to her fate anymore, Kakashi looked sad and slightly haunted as did Naruto and Sakura had a surprised sadness on her face. Naruto was still determined to save Gaara that it hurt Sonea as she knew that Gaara would be dead on arrival as she felt the first tomoe in her other eye forming slowly, nearing the end of the extraction process and placed a genjutsu over the other eye as they got moving again.

Kakashi eventually ordered a break seeing the fatigue on Naruto from Oodama Rasengan and the strain on Sonea's face. Kakashi explained the logic and how they would be fighting the ones who took Gaara the next day and Naruto accepted it.

Kakashi was keeping watch in a tree when Sonea hopped up next to him. Fatigue and pain was plastered on her face but no amount of rest would clear that as she swallowed another painkiller and Kakashi observed this.

"I have seen you take at least four of those today… What is going on Sonea?" Kakashi asked carefully as he stared on into the night with Sonea. She rested her palm into the bridge of her nose and willed her headache away with a sigh as she released the genjutsu on her eyes.

"The extraction started while Sakura was operating on Kankuro and I'm afraid we will be to late by tomorrow." Sonea said, looking into Kakashi's eye that widened visibly. "It seems the tomoe showing up prove this and the first one in my second eye is nearly complete… This is going to crush Naruto." She said sadly as she stared at the haphazardly sleeping teen down below.

"So, what you've been taking… Painkillers? What level?" He asked, not wanting an answer unconsciously.

"Level five and they're barely doing anything. Activating my sharingan works on the Jyuubi's power and now I can't stop using it because of these stupid tomoe showing up and it's just going to get worse." She sighed. Kakashi pulled her to him and she fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay i'll be honest with your here, this chapter just didn't turn out right and i'm sorry but i don't want to put too much cannon talking and such in there as we all pretty much know what happens so here's the continuation of the Kazekage retrieval Ark. R&R**

They all began on their way again soon afterwards in the dark as the sun began to rise. Sonea felt the surge of the Kyuubi's chakra and pushed herself upfront with Naruto. Sonea smiled as she listened to Chiyo and Kakashi talking about Naruto and past mistakes, she had to many to count on both hands anymore. Sonea's steps fumbled a little as her eye and seal burned and tears formed as she gritted her teeth and shut her eyes… The extraction was complete and they were to late as they reached the cave and Guy's team.

The greetings were all done quickly before returning to the topic at hand, the huge boulder blocking the cave's entrances. Neji took a look inside but it wasn't a very good image due to the barrier around the cave.

"What's going on in there?" Sakura asked.

"It's had for me to explain." Neji said, seeming a bit put off.

"Did it seem like a humanoid statue?" Sonea asked as her memories loosened of the time of her sealing as she stared at the rock.

"Yes, from what I could see." He responded, a bit surprised. Sonea made a hiss in frustration. Guy ran at the rock with full force with a punch but it just rippled and did nothing.

"A barrier, huh?" Guy said in frustration. Guy returned and they all studied the seal.

"This is a five seal barrier, isn't it?" Kakashi said, a bit uncertain but Sonea smiled and knew it was worth her time teaching him more about seals during the two and a half years. And Chiyo confirmed it was a five seal barrier. Neji quickly located the other seals placed all around and after a little radio mishap with Lee, Team Guy took off for the four others and Kakashi positioned himself to remove the one on the rock and told Sakura to smash it at his command while Naruto, Chiyo and Sonea stood back.

Sakura smashed the rock and they all waited for Kakashi signal and jumped in formation Sakura and Chiyo were on the left side of the entrance and Naruto and Kakashi on the right and Sonea hopped in lazily and stood dead centre of the entrance, already know what was done. There stood the two Akatsuki members that the Suna had described and the blonde bomber sat on the corpse of Gaara, which pissed Naruto off and the Kyuubi chakra flared with Naruto's emotions.

"Where the hell do you think you're sitting?!" Naruto yelled at them and Sonea readied herself to step in front of Naruto if he tried anything. Right then, Naruto was the most important person to protect for Sonea. "Gaara, how can you be asleep at a time like this? Stand up… Gaara… Are you listening? Stop it already." Naruto pleaded, trying to move to him.

"Stop, Naruto… You should already know." Kakashi commanded gently. Naruto began charging when the blonde one said Gaara had been dead for a while and it seemed to piss Sonea off as much as it did Naruto but she held herself in check while Kakashi moved in front of Naruto to stop him and tell him to calm down otherwise they are all dead. Sonea and Naruto got extremely frustrated at the two openly having an argument about art being a quick thing or ever lasting.

"Who cares about your damn art!" Sonea shouted and stepped up next to Naruto and they both gave her a dirty look.

"What did you just say you bitch." The blonde one growled out.

"Exactly what you just heard… Who. Cares." Sonea said with a snarl and stood just ahead of Kakashi when a few senbons flew at her from Sasori that she deflected easily with a kunai. The blonde took the distraction to create a giant white bird, picked up Gaara and took off outside with Naruto chasing him.

"Naruto and I will take care of the guy outside. Sakura, Chiyo-baasama and Sonea take care of this guy." Kakashi said as he chased after Naruto. Sonea began out weighing the advantages she could give to both sides. Sasori used poison that Sonea's body would filter out quickly and so she could fight Sasori without worry. Sonea also had wings which would be a major advantage as well as being able to live through any explosion. Chiyo had begun battling Sasori at this point while Sonea stood with Sakura to cover her if an unexpected attack came along with poison. Chiyo began to explain that his real body was probably inside his puppet form in front of them. It was decided that Sakura needed to smash the puppet to get Sasori out in his real form and attack from there however all of his traps needed to be avoided because of the poison.

"Chiyo, I have an idea." Sonea spoke up when it began to look grim and they both waited for her to carry on. "The poison will not affect me but I can't explain it right now, just trust me. I have the perfect defence to get Sakura close enough however if we fail the first time, he won't fall for it again so the timing will need to be perfect on your part Sakura." Sonea explained and the two kunochi looked a bit confused and Sonea smirked. She created the iron blades to run down the length of her arm for her own defence and continued to form her wings and tail, also covered by iron from her blood and she quickly replaced the blood in her system. The wings and tail made a light chinging noise whenever they moved as she stretched them out.

Sasori began a barrage of senbons after Chiyo and Sakura altered their plan and Sonea instructed Sakura to stay under the cover of her wings as much as possible as they began to charge forward. He then began to launch more senbons from a torpedo like object which were dodged again as they managed to get closer.

Sonea gave the signal and Sakura followed as her shadow. Sonea immobilized Sasori's tail while Sakura slipped out of her shadow and smashed Sasori's shell as a black coated figure jumped out of the smashed puppet and the kunoichi's watched on now that he finally revealed himself. The puppets head shot up with senbons at Sakura and Chiyo gave away her puppet technique she was using on Sakura to help her dodge every senbon.

Sasori hadn't aged a day since he left the sand village and the next puppet he brought out was all the more terrifying: The Sandaime Kazekage that went missing years ago. Sakura became the more determined against Sasori since she heard that Orochimaru was his old partner but he refused and sent the puppet forward. Chiyo moved Sakura back while Sonea moved forward to intercept the poison laced puppet. Sonea jumped back to the front of Sakura as he began his next attack of hundreds of puppet hands, which came down on them. Sonea cut a few away to shield Sakura who managed to miss the last few but it hit Sonea with full force into the ground. Sonea pushed her way out of the hands while Chiyo pulled Sakura out but a gust of poison threatened to envelope Sakura.

Chiyo shouted for her to hold her breath. Sonea, using some chakra in her wings managed to blow the cloud past Sakura quickly and straight out of the cave. Unfortunately more poison poured out with kunai's and ropes to hold Sakura in it. Quickly dislodging herself from the hands and assessing she could still move with a break or two, Sonea ran into the cloud of poison and quickly found her and cut the ropes away and jumped out of the fog which stayed in Sonea's sense of smell. The poison was full of heavy metals and especially lead, which would slow Sonea down dramatically as it flowed through her system.

"Are you okay Sakura?" Sonea asked her as she set her down with Chiyo and assessed Sakura who was more concerned at Sonea.

"I thought you said the poison won't affect you?" She scolded Sonea and Sonea gave out a humourless laugh while never taking her eyes off of Sasori.

"I changed the truth. It is a heavy metal poison, heavily laced with lead. It will damage me as my body filters it out but I won't die from it like you two would if it hit you, I can keep going." Sonea said as she assessed her broken ribs tenderly.

Sakura stood up and made sure Sasori understood she wasn't giving up until he told her about Orochimaru which at that point he decided to fire kunai at her. Sonea stretched her wing out which deflected them easily and Chiyo brought out her two puppets, Sasori's Father and Mother and decided to get serious like her grandson. Chiyo began a puppet fight with him while Sakura moved to Sonea to heal her ribs slightly.

Unfortunately the Sandaime Kazekage puppet could use the iron sand technique like he could when he was alive and Sonea instantly saw a weakness for her and decided to fall back slightly.

"I'm at a disadvantage here, that iron sand can cut through my iron on my skin as it is more heavily concentrated than the iron I can get from my blood." Sonea warned Chiyo and Sakura accordingly. "He will tie me down quickly as I was your shield. He will use me to his advantage against you two." Sonea said with a bit of frustration.

"Then… You will be more useful against the flying and explosion type that Kaka-sensei and Naruto went after." Sakura stated.

"Go, we'll cover you and take down my grandson." Chiyo smiled at Sonea.

"Are you sure?" Sonea asked to make sure.

"If you leave, we'll have the advantage back, go, Naruto needs you." Sakura said, smiling at Sonea as well. Sonea sighed and winced slightly but took off, following the Kyuubi's chakra trail as iron sand pierced the wall she was just passing and the roof caved in by what she could see when she took to the skies.

She could see the white bird that was close to the ravine where she knew Kakashi and Naruto were and took to the white clouds high above and decided to wait it out above them until Kakashi or Naruto decided to make a move. Sonea would have blown the plan if it wasn't for her partial sharingan showing Kakashi's shadow clone getting blown up and he caught up to Naruto and began a plan then continued to chase him again.

Sonea began to stress slightly when she saw the warping of Kamui from Kakashi's sharingan but saw her chance which was easier than Naruto's chance. She stole Kakashi's Lightning Blade and cut the damn bird in half while Naruto retrieved the head that carried Gaara in it. Sonea tripped slightly as she landed but it gave her the chance to see where the Deidara landed in front of her with Kakashi and Naruto behind her while Naruto dug Gaara out of the head.

Sonea smirked when she saw Naruto take a good shot at Deidara and took off after them to look after Naruto for Kakashi. She watched just away to allow Naruto to vent his anger on Deidara and readied herself to jump in at any time.. Sonea began to panic as she saw the Kyuubi chakra leaking from him. As soon as the second tail began appearing she tackled him and forced some natural chakra into his seal and it immediately began receding and Kakashi jumped down next to them and Sonea helped Naruto up and gave him a slight apologetic smile

"Have you calmed down now Naruto?" Kakashi asked him and he heard a noise and looked.

"Relax, it's Sakura, Chiyo and Guy's team." Sonea said, putting a hand on his shoulder as Sakura and Chiyo jumped down.

"We caught up." Sakura said.

"Sakura-chan." Naruto looked up with a smile.

"You did a good job finding us." Kakashi told them.

"We felt a huge tremor a few minutes ago." Sakura said.

"You guy's… got him, huh?" Naruto asked tiredly. Sakura nodded and Chiyo looked towards where Deidara was hiding.

"It looks like you are still having some trouble over here." Chiyo noted.

"Unfortunately…" Kakashi said, closing his eyes as the effect of the mangekyo sharingan began taking effect.

"What happened to Gaara?" Chiyo asked. Naruto looked away sadly then looked to where his clones were holding Gaara. Chiyo sighed. The clanging of kunai was soon heard and Sonea smiled.

"Calm down, its Guy's team finishing off the last one." She said and placed her hand over Kakashi's already over used sharingan. Deidara suddenly appeared by the clay bird's body and Kakashi shouted a warning about his techniques. He chewed then swallowed something and his body began to puff up and began to explode. Sonea saw Kakashi about to use his sharingan again, she took a deep breath and moved at an impossible speed towards the giant fireball while switching to Jyuubi chakra mode, opened her locket and forced out a massive amount of storm release chakra as the fireball reached her out stretched hands. Forcing her tails into the ground at the same time, a mud wall erected just behind her to save Team Guy and stopping the after shock from hitting them. The ball was stopped and dissipated as she was thrown against the wall. Kakashi used his mangekyo sharingan anyway to dissipate the bits of fire flying around the wall at them.

She could hear a muffled voice shouting as she was pulled out of the wall and felt healing chakra, she somehow moved one of her tails and grabbed Sakura's wrists and pulled them away from her as Sonea sat up. She looked down at the damage which was repairing slowly with hers and the Jyuubi's chakra and unsealed a new top from her skin to throw over her ruined one that went around her lower back and covered the healing hole on her abdomen. She winced at the pain on her burned hands as Sakura pulled her up and watched as they both began their way back to the astonished group.

"You idiot… Why did you use it again?" Sonea tried to scold Kakashi who was supported by Naruto.

"Are you okay Kaka-sensei?" Naruto asked him.

"What the heck happened?" Sakura asked as she moved back to help Chiyo. Sonea closed the locket and looked to Kakashi with a scowl.

"I blew the aftershock into another dimension." Kakashi explained.

"Another dimension?" Sakura said surprised and looked at Sonea with a concerned frown. Team Guy began trying to figure out what had just happened.

"More importantly, is everyone all right?" Kakashi asked, shakily. He looked to Sonea quickly who gave a nod before getting distracted by Naruto's clones jumping down with Gaara's corpse. Guy moved over to Kakashi and helped him walk and the team began to move out to a rendezvous point for Suna. Sonea was fine as she continued in Jyuubi chakra mode and her wounds being healed slowly, it was when she releases the chakra, she would have hell to pay.

Sonea stood next to the kneeling Kakashi, watching as Sakura took a look at Gaara in the open field. Sonea let tears well up in her eyes for the mourning Naruto in front of her but with the Jyuubi's powerful eyes, she could see how hurt Naruto was by Gaara's death as it wracked his body.

"Why did Gaara have to die like this?" Naruto said through the tears. "You're the Kazekage, dammit. You just became the Kazekage!" Naruto cried.

"Calm yourself, Uzumaki Naruto." Chiyo told him calmly. Sonea stepped forward but Kakashi caught her hand to stop her.

"Shut the hell up!" Naruto turned and screamed at her with tears falling brightly down his face. "It's your fault! If you goddamned Suna shinobi hadn't put that monster inside him, this never would have happened! Do you have any idea what kind of burden he carried!?" Naruto shouted before the grief over took him. "Damn the jinchuuriki. You have no right to act like you're better, to label us and use us." His tears ran more freely now. Sonea pulled her arm out of Kakashi's and pulled Naruto to her so he could cry into her shoulder. "I couldn't save Sasuke… I couldn't save Gaara… I trained so hard for three years… and nothing's changed…" He pulled back as he watched Chiyo walk to Gaara's body. The life force energy was instantly felt by Sakura, Kakashi and Sonea as Chiyo poured her energy into Gaara to bring him back at the cost of her own life. Sakura and Sonea held Naruto back as he tried to see what she was doing but he froze when he saw the look in her eyes.

"She is going to bring Gaara-kun back to life." She instructed Naruto.

"Bring him back to life? Can she actually do that?" Naruto said with disbelief.

"This is a unique technique that only Chiyo-baasama knows." Sakura informed him. Naruto gave his chakra to Chiyo so she could complete the transference as everyone watched on sadly. Sonea pulled Sakura to her for comfort as she cried at Chiyos' last words as she passed on peacefully. Suna back up arrived as Gaara woke up and everyone began to cheer and Sakura moved Chiyo's body away. Sonea laughed silently but painfully at the fuss Kankuro and Temari were making over Gaara as it brought back memories of her adoptive siblings,

"Everyone, pray for Chiyo-baasama." Gaara asked and everyone closed their eyes for respect. Everyone began to make their way slowly back to Suna as the sun began to rise. It looked as though the entire population of Suna was waiting for Gaara's homecoming but Chiyo's body was carried through first respectfully.

"Oooowww! Gently Sakura." Sonea yelled out as she began cleaning all of Sonea's wounds the same morning.

"You're just as reckless as Naruto, you and Kaka-sensei…" She sighed as she began healing the rest of the wounds on her abdomen and thighs from the blast. Sonea saw a thought pass over Sakura's face.

"You can ask me what's on your mind Sakura, I've seen you distracted by it the whole trip." Sonea chided gently.

"I understand if you don't want to say anything but… Why did Itachi call you Sensei… Why are you taking so many level five painkillers… How are you not affected by poisons and your abilities…" She whispered out the last part as confused tears sprang from her eyes. "And the way Naruto let's you get so close to him… almost like you know his and Gaara's pain… I'm sorry." She said, wiping away her tears and Sonea sat up off of the bed and held her shoulders gently and smiled.

"I am a very high classed secret… However, you may need to know about me and so I will talk with Tsunade about it. Itachi called me sensei because I was his sensei to him once. At the moment I am in great pain that cannot be stopped and poison doesn't affect me because of my abilities. That is all I can tell you, now go and get ready for the funeral." Sonea explained and Sakura nodded and moved off to get ready.

The Konoha group paid their last respects to Chiyo's grave and after Naruto and Gaara shook hands, they were off to Konoha with Sonea on Sage's wolf form back as she held on to the Jyuubi's chakra. Guy and Kakashi didn't look impressed that Guy was helping Kakashi and Sonea laughed silently behind them on Sage's back.

"Sensei, you guy's are to slow!" Tenten called to them.

"Sorry about this Guy-kun. I can't move my body for a while after I use my new sharingan so much." Kakashi apologised sheepishly.

"Hurry up!" Tenten called again. All of a sudden, Guy threw Kakashi on his back, who looked less than impressed with the whole thing and Sonea was crying at laughter and pain, she could also feel Sage laughing underneath her.

"I see, you're training, aren't you." Lee said enthusiastically.

"It'll be quicker this way." Guy said as he began to run.

"We better follow them, in case he drops Kakashi." Sonea said to Sage who instantly took off after them.

Sonea watched Guy reach the gate and poor Kakashi was hanging half off of him. Lee sprinted past Sage and Sonea as Guy yelled that he was first.

"I think if I was in my human form, I wouldn't have been able to keep up with them." Sage said as he reached the gates.

"And second place!" Lee yelled out as he came to a stop.

"Lee, you need more training." Guy said to Lee.

"Yes, I'll work harder so I can come in first place next time." Lee said to enthusiastically.

"Actually, I have something disappointing to tell you… My poor Lee, you weren't in second place, you came in third. Kakashi came in second place because I was carrying him… You're a pretty lucky guy, Kakashi, no need to thank me." Guy said and Sonea decided to rescue him.

"Guy… Give him to me." Sonea commanded, he swirled around and Kakashi slipped off his back but luckily Sonea caught him and placed him on Sage carefully. "Alright everyone, let's go to the hospital, Tsunade will meet us there." Sonea took command and everyone followed behind her to the hospital.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay so i'm happy with most of this chapter, i think it flows better and i think the flow will get better from here onwards, sorry for the rough take off. Enjoy!**

**Chapter four: **

"Dammit… I hate you Kakashi." Sonea growled out in a bed next to him. The team was sent to get some rest for a while and Sonea chose that exact moment to pass out from the Jyuubi chakra.

"Hey… I didn't do anything." He said, lying in his bed, not being able to move. "How are you doing?" He asked in a soft and concerned voice.

"How should I be feeling after being poisoned, blown up and having to use that damn chakra to save your asses when you decided to push yourself anyway and use your mangekyo to many times in one day. You damn idiot, I don't know why I love you." She crossed her arms and growled, Kakashi laughed sheepishly.

"Well, at least we're bunking together." He said, trying to lighten the situation. "But please, answer me honestly." He asked and Sonea sighed with a wince from her chest and ribs.

"It seems the damn tomoe are showing up in my eyes as each bijuu gets sealed and my seal is burning more to as the tomoe use the Jyuubi's power to appear… Tsunade is pushing me up a level of painkillers and things just seem to be getting worse but I think we may have a bit of time after Akatsuki lost two members to regroup." Sonea said, looking out the window across Kakashi. "Get some rest, you need it." Sonea said, smiling at him. He closed his eyes.

"Can I ask you one question quickly?" He asked.

"What?" Sonea asked.

"Was that my lightning blade I saw you use on that bird?" He asked with playful suspicion.

"… No…" She said innocently and Kakashi smiled under the blanket.

The team gathered in the room a little while later and they were waiting patiently for Kakashi to wake up and Tsunade to arrive.

"He's awake." Naruto said, looking over Kakashi.

"Here again?" Kakashi asked, finally realising he was in a hospital and Tsunade walked in.

"Good work Kakashi." Tsunade said.

"Tsunade-sama." Kakashi said with strain as he tried to sit up, his blanket slipping down his face slightly.

"Don't force yourself Kaka-sensei." Sakura told him. Naruto was trying to inconspicuously see under the blanket at Kakashi's face but backed off once he saw Sakura's face.

"I took a look at you earlier. You're going to have to stay in bed for a week. And after you're out, it will be another several days before I can clear you to go on any mission." Tsunade told Kakashi.

"I had a feeling that would be the case… " He said disappointedly.

"Looks like it will take some time for you to master your new sharingan." Tsunade said.

"Looks like it." He said back.

"For the time being, don't over do it and rest up. Team Guy, I want you to rest today as well. You may submit your report tomorrow… Let's go Shizune." Tsunade said but Sonea could see in her eyes that she wanted to talk to her as everyone filed out and left Kakashi and Sonea to rest.

"So… how many tiles do you count?" Sonea asked with a grin and Kakashi chuckled.

Sonea woke up again a few hours later to see Tsunade sitting next to her bed with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Hey… What's wrong Tsunade?" Sonea asked sleepily as she sat up.

"The council cornered me like I thought, about Naruto. They now know about you being on the team and have decided to turn it into a five man squad for the next mission after they couldn't get around your ranking over the matter of Naruto and so I have placed ANBU around your room." She said tiredly.

"So, Danzo is after me." Sonea said with a sigh.

"Yes, I was also forced to put a ROOT member on Team Kakashi… Has Sakura told you about what Sasori told her?" Tsunade asked.

"No, what has Sasori told her?" Sonea asked with suspicion.

"Sasori told her he was meeting up with one of his spy's from Orochimaru in six days from now and Naruto has decided he will be going. Kakashi is out of it so I will be sending someone in his place: 'Yamato'. He is one of my most trusted ANBU and I will bring him around later with Jiraiya to discuss the previous mission… Now, tell me what is going on with you." She said with slight worry.

"As soon as we got to Suna, the first tomoe appeared in my eye and the other one formed when the sealing was complete. My seal began to burn and still is, ten times worse than before. I fought against Sasori until he began to use iron sand where I was at a disadvantage and Sakura and Chiyo told me to go after Naruto and Kakashi. We took down the Akatsuki person named Deidara but he exploded and so I used my Jyuubi chakra mode to take out the explosion and I ended up with the hole in my abdomen and the burns on my hands and thighs. I stayed in Jyuubi chakra mode until I passed out here because I knew that was coming. It's getting harder to use it each time." Sonea finished explaining as Tsunade was doing an examination on her.

"Did you get hit by the poison at all?" She asked, completely finishing the healing on her body and placing her ribs back and fixing other fractures.

"Yes, I inhaled some of it. It is a mixture of heavy metals but mostly lead that caused some internal damage but my body should filter it out quickly." Sonea said as she finished her examination and sat back down.

"Okay. I want you to stay over night so we can make sure the poison filters through properly and I will be stepping up your medication to level seven. You will be going on the mission to the spy of Sasori's and watch the ROOT member accordingly." Tsunade said.

"Tsunade… I need you to tell Sakura about me… We can't keep it from her any longer, not when I'm on the team." Sonea asked as Tsunade walked out and she agreed. Sonea stared at her sheets on the bed in thought. "Do you want one of my wolves to stop by your place and get you some proper clothes?" Sonea asked Kakashi, knowing he was awake the entire time.

"My sleeping clothes would be nice, they should be folded on my bed in my apartment… So… How much pain are you really in?" Kakashi asked curiously as he sat up a little and pulled the curtain around to block his face from the window. Sonea was staring in thought again as she rested back against a propped up pillow.

"You know when you stub your toe really hard against something without breaking it… It's that feeling all over my tattoo and seal but it's a constant throbbing pain which burns. It's not just medication for the pain but for the stress my body is under from natural chakra and the Jyuubi's chakra as well and that is why it's level seven." Sonea said, looking at the sealing and placed the genjutsu back over her eyes and Kakashi's face as Star walked in with clothes that she handed to both of them. Sonea hopped out of the bed and dressed in her normal shinobi uniform and she helped Kakashi get dress as well. "Get some more rest, I'm not allowed to leave yet so I'll be sitting on my bed." Sonea told Kakashi as she hopped up onto her bed and began meditating while Kakashi went back to sleep.

"You're looking pretty laid back there." Jiraiya said, hopping through the window, Sonea didn't move a muscle from her meditative position the next morning.

"Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi said, surprised.

"Though, I guess you've been like that for a while, eh? I heard that you'll be stuck in bed for a week." Jiraiya said.

"Well, that's what it looks like." Kakashi said, sitting up a bit quickly. Sonea and Jiraiya were next to him quickly, helping him up into a sitting position.

"Easy, easy, don't force yourself… Yeah, you're not going anywhere for a while." Jiraiya said with concern. They helped him to lean against a propped up pillow gently as Sonea sat on his bed next to him and ran a hand soothingly through his hair until he stopped shaking with pain

"A gift! Two volumes of Icha Icha Paradise. You've probably read them already but it will help pass the time." Jiraiya said, slamming the books down on his bedside table. Sonea began glaring at the books, hoping they would spontaneously burst into flames.

"Thank you." Kakashi said, eying the books. "This can't be the real reason you've returned to the village right?" Kakashi asked with suspicion.

"We'll talk more in detail once he and Tsunade arrive." Jiraiya said.

"He who?" Kakashi asked with more suspicion.

"I believe that he's being called 'Yamato' on this mission." Jiraiya said, looking out the window then back to Kakashi and Sonea with a smile. Sonea narrowed her eyes at the smile, knowing it all to well. "So, what's going on between you two?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"None of your business." Sonea growled out as she stood up off of the bed and waited with her arms crossed while Kakashi began to read his books and giggle like a naughty schoolgirl.

"Looks like they've arrived." Jiraiya said and Kakashi put his book down and Tsunade, Shizune and Tenzo walked in.

"Long time no see Senpai and Sonea-san." Tenzo said with a smile.

"I see, so you're the one she has called Yamato." Kakashi said as they gathered around the bed.

"Yes, Yamato will be my codename while working as the interim captain for you're team." Yamato explained quickly.

"Yamato, huh?" Kakashi said.

"I brought Yamato here because there's something he needs to know if he's going to act as Team Kakashi's captain." Tsunade said and Sonea decided to sit on Kakashi's bed for the time being.

"And it's the main reason why you were chosen to be Kakashi's substitute." Jiraiya said to Yamato.

"Is it about Naruto-kun?" Yamato asked. Kakashi nodded.

"Exactly."

"You already know about the Kyuubi being sealed within Naruto. There are some times when the Kyuubi's chakra flows out of Naruto's body and starts to take on the demon fox's form. We call this the Demon Fox's Cloak" Jiraiya informed Yamato whose eyes widened.

"The Demon Fox's Cloak? Does it happen frequently?" He asked, a bit worried.

"It happened in the previous mission. As Naruto's emotions intensify, more and more of the Kyuubi's chakra begins to flow out of him until it envelopes his entire body and he took the form of the Demon Fox's Cloak. Just before the second tail formed, Sonea managed to tackle him and force it back using natural chakra. But who knows what would of happened if she didn't intervene then." Kakashi said, glancing to Sonea next to him.

"I see. So it did come out." Jiraiya said with a bit of disappointment.

"Going by the formation of the chakra, it's likely that more tails will appear… And eventually there would be nine." Kakashi said with his eyes closed.

"That sums it up." Jiraiya said and Sonea closed her eyes with a sigh, remembering when she stepped in to save Jiraiya while they were on their training trip.

"Sonea… Jiraiya-sama, how many tails have you seen him go up to?" Kakashi asked with curiosity. Sonea looked away, not wanting to remember it. Jiraiya began removing his clothes to reveal the scar Naruto left there.

"In my whole life, I've only come close to death twice. The first time six ribs and both of my arms were broken and several of my internal organs were severely damaged. It happened when I was trying to peek at the girls in the hot springs, and Tsunade beat the snot out of me. And the second time… Was when I was training with Naruto and the fourth tail formed. His anger is the trigger. The angrier he gets, the faster the tails appear. He can maintain control of himself up to three tails, but once the fourth one appears, he can no longer distinguish between friend and foe and leaves naught but destruction in his wake. He looks exactly like a miniature version of the Kyuubi." Jiraiya said, showing the hole in his chest. Sonea turned back to face the group.

"Even with the Yondaime's seal, he can draw that much?" Kakashi asked with amazed fear.

"I haven't figured out the specifics myself, but I can only come up with one explanation. The Yondaime's seal is weakening." Jiraiya concluded.

"The Yondaime's sealing technique?" Tsunade said with slight astonishment.

"To think that could happen…" Kakashi said.

"There's more. When Naruto is in the Kyuubi state, it may look like the Demon Fox's Cloak is shielding him from harm. But in reality, the chakra causes constant damage to the body. When the fourth tail came out, he started bleeding heavily, the blood mixing with the chakra. And despite the severity of his injuries, he went on a rampage. Once the Cloak dissipates, the Kyuubi's chakra inside his body began healing his wounds. If he keeps going through cycles of heavy injury and accelerated healing like that, his body's going to break down and his life span will be shortened." Jiraiya finished explaining.

"It is called the second stage jinchuuriki, the third stage is when bones begin to form around the jinchuuriki and fourth stage you cannot stop the bijuu appearing, it is where I went to help Jiraiya and Naruto train during our mission. I could feel from the first time Naruto used the Kyuubi's chakra that the presence of the Kyuubi became stronger to the Jyuubi and with his seal and my seal breaking, you are waiting for disaster however I can keep the Jyuubi in check with natural chakra" Sonea informed them with her eyes on the ground as Jiraiya began to put his clothes back on again.

"That is why we need you Yamato. You've inherited the DNA of the Shodia Hokage." Tsunade said sternly with hope.

"You and Sonea are the only ones with a chance of controlling a jinchuuriki. And luckily Naruto is wearing the Shodai's necklace. We're counting on both of you." Jiraiya finished.

"That sums up everything. Sonea, Team Kakashi are leaving straight away, you are clear to leave, do you want to go now or catch up later?" Tsunade asked her.

"I'll go with them now, I can't trust that ROOT member and Danzo will try to get me if I stay in the village, he just has a reason and easy access to try something now against me." Sonea said with slight restrained anger and clenched fists. She turned to walk out but Kakashi grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto his lap and kissed her in front of everyone with his mask on. He let her get up afterwards, feeling a bit dazed and Jiraiya yelling at Kakashi that he knew something was going on and Sonea followed after Yamato to meet the team.

"Bye Sonea-chan." Kakashi called out and chuckled.

Yamato and Sonea landed at the gate with Naruto and Sakura eying the ROOT member suspiciously. Sonea walked right over to him with a blank expression.

"My name is Sonea Storm Shadow, may I ask your name if we are to be working together?" Sonea said emotionlessly, knowing what ROOT members were like, saying they were based on her.

"My name is Sai, I have heard a lot about you." Sai said with a fake smile and Sonea noted it before turning back to Yamato.

"Okay, Team Kakashi, we head out now." Yamato said, beginning to walk with Sonea next to him and the rest following behind.

The walk was uneventful, thankfully, as they began to walk for a while but both Sonea and Yamato could feel the tension behind them as they had a silent conversation with their eyes.

"What is it?" Sai asked suddenly." Please stop staring at me like that, or I'll have to smack you." Sai said emotionlessly and Sonea let out a silent sigh, it was going to be a long mission.

"Every time you open your mouth, you piss me off." Naruto yelled frustrated.

"It's nothing personal." Sai said easily.

"Yeah right!" Naruto yelled back at him.

"I am just portraying myself as the kind of person who says things like that." Sai said calmly.

"Portraying yourself?" Sakura said with surprise.

"That's what makes it personal… That settles it, you don't belong on this team." Naruto yelled and they all stopped. Sonea gave Yamato a look and looked back quickly, silently asking him to do something before she did something. Naruto and Sai began to stare each other down and Sonea and Yamato turned side ways to watch them.

"You're the biggest asshole I've ever met." Naruto said bluntly.

"Hey now, that's no way to act in front of your Captain is it, Naruto? Trust and team work are the most important attributes of a team. I know Kakashi-san taught you that. Kakashi-san is a great man, and considering you are part of his team, your attitude worries me." Yamato warned.

"It's because he's not a part of Team Kakashi. The other member of the team… is Sasuke. This guy was only chosen to fill in the gap Sasuke left. I refuse to accept him as a teammate." Naruto voiced his opinion.

"Well… That suits me fine. Betraying Konoha… Running off to serve Orochimaru… Don't put me in the same group… as that gutless little homo." Sai said happily and luckily Sakura stepped in.

"We do need to put team work first. Sai, Naruto still doesn't know much about you and he went to far. I apologise. Please forgive Naruto." Sakura said seriously and Yamato breathed a sigh of relief.

"At least one of them is serious." He said.

"Don't get your hopes up." Sonea warned in a whisper.

"No problem, apology accepted." Sai said with his fake smile again and Sakura gave one back. Sonea sighed as she saw what was coming.

"Really, glad to hear it." Sakura kept her fake smile in place and she hit Sai as he tried to return one which sent him flying. "I, on the other hand, don't care if you forgive me. "

"You tricked me… With that fake smile of yours." Sai stated.

"You don't know anything about Sasuke-kun. Don't you dare talk trash about him again. If you do, I'll punch you for real next time." Sakura warned.

"Fair enough. I won't say anything about him in front of you. And I had no idea you could use fake smiles either. I'll be sure to remember this." Sai said easily.

"How can you be so laid back after getting decked like that?" Naruto demanded.

"A smile is the best way to deal with difficult situations. Even if it's a fake one. Used properly, you could fool anyone with them. I read that in a book. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work properly when I try it." Sai said with his fake smile and Sonea sighed with irritation.. Yamato formed a wooden cage and crossed his arms.

"If you three keep this up, I will lock you up in this cell. We don't have much time until we reach the Heaven and Earth Bridge. But we can spare some time to stop along the way." Yamato warned and Sonea raised an arm up to lean against the prison and crossed a leg over the other at the ankles. "Here's a little proposal for you, I can either lock you all in this cell for a day to help improve your team work or we can spend a night at a hot spring resort. Which would you prefer? The three of you don't know anything about me either right? I prefer to handle situations with diplomacy. But I'm not averse to controlling people with fear." Yamato warned before making the cage disappear and they all continued their walk in silence.

"Kakashi trained you well." Sonea whispered to Yamato with a smirk.

"That he did." Yamato said with a grin of his own.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Welcome to my humble abode!**

SSS:Really... HowShallWeDuel?NARWALS!?

HSWDN:Of cioarse, you chose to be friends with me, deal with it... I'm sure no one else minds.

SSS:Right... Anyway R&R (Glares at HSWDN)

HSWDN: DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, I DID NOTHING!

* * *

Everyone went to their respective areas at the hot springs to soak for a little while. Sonea got out quickly as the water still hurt on her healing ribs and returned to where they were staying. She saw Yamato sitting and sorting through his things.

"Hey, what you doing?" Sonea asked as she closed the door and sat next to him. She smiled when she saw his ANBU mask.

"Making sure I have everything." He said, looking at his mask. "Things are going to get pretty busy from here on out…" He said, setting the mask back down and taking out three seeds from a sack. There was a knocking on the door. "Come in." He called, clenching the seeds in his hand.

"Pardon me. Shall I begin preparing your meals?" The lady asked.

"Yes please." Yamato replied.

"I'll bring them right away." She said, leaving. Yamato turned back to the seeds in his hands.

"Tracking seeds?" Sonea asked, looking over his shoulder and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yes… I need to keep an eye on everyone." He said, replacing the seeds away.

"Where's mine?" Sonea mocked and sat back with her legs crossed and her arms crossed. Yamato laughed.

"You're big enough and stupid enough to take care of yourself." He said, clearing everything away.

"That's heartless… Tenzo." She muttered and looked away with a pout and Yamato laughed harder.

"Please, call me Yamato." He said sternly.

The evening and the meal went perfectly as they all swallowed their seeds hidden in the food. He then explained that the team training would commence from the next day and they all expressed their thanks and said that Yamato could stay forever if the good treatment carries on. They all then moved off to their respective rooms to sleep. Sonea and Sakura were sharing a room and Naruto and Sai were also sharing.

"Sonea… Master told me everything about you…" Sakura said, sitting on her bed while Sonea brushed her knee length hair out. Sonea stopped her with a hand signal and placed a privacy barrier around the room before telling her to carry on. "It all seems to make sense now. When we first met you, you had blue eyes and blonde hair but now you have red eyes with black hair… I hope you don't mind that I know and I realise that this is a big secret and that it could risk the ninja world if anyone were to find out so your secret is safe with me." Sakura said with a tentative smile.

"I asked Tsunade to tell you, that was the reason why I stopped you from healing me when I got hit by that fireball. Anyone must be stupid not to sense something like that when they heal someone… No offence." She said with a small smile at the end

"So, now when you get hurt, I can heal you with no worries… Doesn't hair that long get in the way?" She asked, changing the awkward subject. Sonea pulled a few strands to the front with her fingers and looked at it thoughtfully.

"Well, I've had it all the way to the middle of my back for all of my existence since it never grew but I haven't bothered to cut it because it doesn't bother me… I guess I've never had a reason to cut it or tie it up… Plus my boyfriend likes it long and down." Sonea said with a smile and a slight blush.

"How is your boyfriend taking this situation you're in now?" Sakura asked with curiosity as the both got into bed.

"Actually, my 'situation' is the reason we're together… He is worried about me but he knows I can take care of myself." Sonea said, smiling as she closed her eyes.

"Wait! Who is he? Do I know him?" Sakura asked with excited curiosity.

"All I'm going to say is that you do know him… Night!" Sonea said, hiding under the covers as Sakura tried to beat it out of her but eventually gave up and they went to sleep.

Sonea woke up and got dressed, noticing Sakura was up already, she heard voices from outside her window and slipped out silently over to Yamato who was listening to them. The had a silent talk between them using their eyes and they all soon left the hot springs to get on their way. Yamato soon confronted Naruto, using fear to control him with his 'scary face' and everyone was all 'good friends' now as they kept walking.

They went on a small path through a small forest as the information they got could be a trap. So until they get to the bridge they would follow smaller roads and stay off the main ones. Sakura and Naruto were extremely surprised and amazed when Yamato created a house for them to stay in for the night and they all huddled around to discuss strategies.

"I have a file from Suna about Sasori. But I need you to tell me about his personality, speech patterns, gestures and mannerisms in as much detail as you can. The spy watching Orochimaru thinks that Sasori will be meeting him at the Heaven and Earth Bridge. He may see right through us. But I think it would be best to transform into Sasori and get as close to him as possible." Yamato explained.

"If Sasori doesn't show up at the bridge, the spy might not reveal himself." Sakura deduced.

"That is a very likely possibility." Yamato concluded

"This will all be pointless if he doesn't." Naruto said.

"Being a spy means taking on a great deal of risk." Sai said and Yamato and him had a suspicious staring contest. "That means he will be extra cautious." Sai concluded.

"So are you going to transform into Sasori, Captain Yamato?" Naruto asked.

"That's right. I'm told that Sasori is always hidden inside his puppet called Hiruko. I can copy its basic form if I use my wood release. And also, it's best that I approach him first, just in case this does turn out to be a trap set up by Akatsuki." Yamato said.

"The way he was talking right before he died… I don't really think it was a lie. It's true that there was an Akatsuki in Suna called Yuura." Sakura said with conviction.

"We're just planning for a remote possibility. I want you to wait for my signal before doing anything." Yamato commanded.

"Whichever case it may be, there is no doubt that this spy will be strong." Sai said with cold emotionless tone.

"Let's do it." Naruto said, all pumped up to save Sasuke. Yamato decided to discuss the mission in more detail and play out the possible scenarios using the buddy system. Yamato and Sakura in one team and Naruto and Sai on the other with Sonea as the hidden and ultimate back up if something goes terribly wrong. Sakura tried to save Naruto from him but Yamato stated that Sakura would be safer working with him.

A simulation was done the next day at a fake bridge made by Yamato. Sonea just watched as the simulation went on and saw that Sai was highly skilled to be able to capture Yamato.

On the day, Yamato formed a wood transformation and perfected his disguise. Naruto, Sakura and Sai hid in the bushes while Sonea stayed high in the sky with the clouds and watched.

She swallowed hard when Orochimaru himself showed up and got a bit restless when Yamato was forced to reveal himself but she had to wait for the signal. She saw the other three hop out at his signal and her signal was given. She landed in the forest with a shimmer, hid her wings and tail and stayed at the side of the bridge as back up like planned. Unfortunately, she could feel the Kyuubi's chakra affecting Naruto when he came out to face Orochimaru.

"You again?" Kabuto said smugly.

"Well, I never expected there would be an extra rat hiding… How is that curse seal Sonea-san?" Orochimaru called to her. She snarled but lifted her hand up to touch the two bite wounds anyway and smirked.

"What ever are you talking about Orochimaru-kun?" She said sweetly as she showed him her neck with no mark… He did not look impressed.

"A face I've seen many times… And now the Kyuubi boy is here too. I suppose we can play for a bit. We'll see whether you've gotten stronger than Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru said slyly. The Kyuubi chakra intensified.

"Give Sasuke back!" Naruto demanded as the cloak formed. Sonea carefully walked up next to Yamato and prepared herself.

"We can't simply 'give him back' Naruto-kun. Don't you get it yet? Sasuke-kun came to us of his own free will. You got too attached to him. Be a man and stop dwelling on the past." Kabuto said easily.

"Shut your goddamned trap four-eyes! I'm sick of your attitude! You have no idea how Naruto feels!" Sakura said with anger at them.

"If you're so intent on finding out where Sasuke-kun is, you'll have to force it out of me… If you can that is." Orochimaru egged Naruto. Naruto moved with impossible speed and sent Orochimaru flying across the forest.

"Naruto-kun, your power as a jinchuuriki has grown a lot. The Kyuubi's energy is getting stronger by the second." Kabuto said slyly. Both Naruto and Sonea looked to see Orochimaru returning to the bridge and the Kyuubi's chakra kept on intensifying.

"You're very much the jinchuuriki now, aren't you, Naruto-kun? It makes perfect sense now." Orochimaru said, moving onto the bridge. Sonea began weighing out the options. She could jump in to stop Naruto but Orochimaru would attack, leaving them in trouble and the rest of the team to fight Kabuto. The whole team could go for Kabuto and leave Naruto to fight Orochimaru, risking more tails to appear and if they would all go for Orochimaru and Naruto looses it… Sonea bit her bottom lip in frustration. "That's why they place you in charge of him. It appears my experiments benefited Konoha after all. One would think my old village would be more grateful to me. Don't you agree my adorable little lab rat?" Orochimaru said to Yamato. Orochimaru began to explain the story of Yamato to Kabuto when he still lived in Konoha. Orochimaru egged Naruto on again and Naruto was now up to three tails.

"This is bad." Sonea said in a strained whisper. The wind began to rage and burn as the Kyuubi's chakra flew around.

"That's…" Yamato said with slight panic.

"If we don't do something soon, he'll move into stage two." Sonea said loudly to Yamato over the wind. The bridge became slightly damaged with the intensity of power.

"Intriguing." Orochimaru said, slightly amused. Sonea saw Kabuto move towards Naruto and she followed after him, forming the blades that run down her arms. Sonea dodge the blast that Naruto let of and jumped high with some chakra. The bridge began to crumble and break apart underneath Sonea. She watched as Naruto chased after Orochimaru and the determined look in his eye… He was starting his real mission. She reabsorbed her blades to form her iron wings and tail and spotted Sakura falling and unconscious and Sai flew right past her. She dived for Sakura and barely touched the water as she made her way back with Sakura in her arms and put her down next to Yamato.

"Why didn't he grab Sakura?" Yamato said in disbelief.

"His real mission has begun… It has to do with Orochimaru but from what I've heard about ROOT, it doesn't make sense right now. I'm going to need help restraining Naruto so I'm going to get him and Sai and bring them back here. You take care of Sakura and Kabuto." Sonea explained as she turned around and took off for the explosion and saw Sai up ahead so she took to the forest in her wolf form so she can dodge with enough speed and balance. The blast came through the forest and Sonea managed to dodge into a ditch. She could sense Yamato's clone making his way over and the Kyuubi's chakra intensify as he moved into second stage jinchuuriki, luckily Sai was just watching at the moment. As the dust cleared, she moved the logs trapping her off of her and stood at the edge of the crater and watched Sai as he watched the battle. Naruto continued to fight him off with chakra blasts and the tailed beast bomb as it hit Orochimaru's Sanjuu Rashoumon (Triple Rashoumon).

Unfortunately, Orochimaru managed to stab Naruto and fling him back to the bridge as Sonea began running at full speed back to the bridge like she was planning to do. She could hear the confused roar of the Kyuubi coming from Naruto as she managed to reach the clearing but was shocked at what she saw, Sakura was running for Naruto, she made a rash decision as she jumped over the gap between the ravine and transformed back. Naruto's tail grazed Sakura on her arm but it gave Sonea a chance to grab it with her own tail as she pulled on the Jyuubi's chakra to transform. Yamato began restraining Naruto with his wood release. Sonea hopped up right in front of Naruto who roared at her impassive face and began restraining him with natural chakra chains to reinforce the wood release that Yamato was battling with. She heard Yamato's wood release again behind her but she was to caught up in forcing the Kyuubi's chakra back slowly as she rested her hand on his forehead and began to slowly insert natural chakra in him to force the Kyuubi back.

"I don't think so." Yamato said with command.

"Don't jump to conclusions. I don't see the need for us to fight anymore. Just the opposite in fact." Kabuto said calmly as his chakra intensified slightly.

"What do you mean?" Yamato asked with slight confusion to his commanding tone.

"Our groups share the same view point. We both want Akatsuki gone. I figured if we let you guys live, you might take another one of them down for us. You can repay me for saving her by killing at least one more Akatsuki. But he's your problem. You'll have to take care of him yourselves." Kabuto said before his presence disappeared. Naruto began to struggle and break the wood release and Sonea had to focus more on her chakra chains than pushing the Kyuubi back and she gritted her teeth in focus as more natural chakra moved to restrain him. The chains began to hiss against his skin.

"Yamato, I need you now!" Sonea ordered, still watching Naruto as her roared in her concentrated face with frustration. Yamato came running up behind them.

"Hokage-style; Submission technique, Kakuan's return to humanity." Sonea moved out of the way so Yamato could touch the Shodai's necklace. He jumped back and made the submission ring and Sonea returned to forcing back the Kyuubi's chakra with Yamato's help. Sonea cringed at Naruto's pained scream as the chakra was pushed back completely and he fell into Sonea who helped him to lie on the floor gently.

"It's over." Yamato said with relief as he took down the submission ring. Sonea began healing him like last time, the damage was a lot worse from before.

"Sakura, I need your help, now." Sonea called over to Sakura. She ran over and began with tears in her eyes as Sonea manipulated chakra from the seal on his stomach and began hovering one hand over the seal and moving the other in spiralled motions in a flower movement to get the chakra flowing and healing. Sakura intensified the healing and twinge from the pain in her arm. Sonea began looking at it and studying the damage.

"Captain Yamato… Would you please teach me that technique… That you used to stop Naruto?" Sakura asked sadly.

"That's impossible. I'm the only one in Konoha who can use that technique, because I am the only one infused with the Shodai's DNA. That technique forcibly suppresses the Kyuubi's chakra. You can't learn it without possessing the unique abilities required for its use. Unfortunately I am only an experimental copy, I don't even compare to the Shodai. The necklace that Naruto wears is an heirloom of the Shodai's, it is a chakra crystal that only responds to the Shodai's chakra. It's because of that that I can control a jinchuuriki's chakra. Some believe that ability is why he became the Shodai Hokage to begin with. That's also the reason why I was chosen captain for this team and Sonea is on it, as you saw, controlling a rampaging jinchuuriki takes a lot of power." Yamato explained softly to the disappointed Sakura who was looking down and depressed now.

"It's always like this… The only things I can ever do for Naruto… are small and insignificant." Sakura said, holding back tears.

"It's not the size of what you do for him that counts. What really matters are your feelings for Naruto." Yamato said with a knowing smirk and Sonea began smiling to as the healing was coming to an end. "Sakura, I can tell just by looking at you. You really l…" Yamato was cut off as Naruto woke up. He was a bit confused as he couldn't remember what happened and said he would beat up Sai for upsetting Sakura. They then asked about Sai as Naruto took in the damage to the bridge. The group began following Yamato to the cratered area and Naruto took in the destroyed area again and started to ask questions which Sakura covered up with a lie.

Sakura spotted Sai's things and Yamato began to explain what happened as he had a clone watching and communicating back to him with a radio. They began to discuss Danzo and what he could be planning, possibly to destroy Konoha again and rebuild with his own ideals. It seemed like a very good possibility but Sonea felt like something was missing in the whole plan and thought.

"You have valid points there… But…" Sonea said, furrowing her brows in thought.

"But…" Yamato coaxed.

"It doesn't feel right, we're missing something vital here. Like Yamato said, we still need to keep an open mind to the matter." Sonea said with the same feeling of missing something important.

"My clone is trailing them but I don't know what will happen. We're going after them too." Yamato declared.

"Got it! Let's g…" Naruto said as he began to fall to the floor. Sonea rushed in and caught him and lay him down and Sakura took a quick look at him and saw that there was still some damage.

"Sakura, let's go." Yamato said, a bit heartlessly and Sonea held back a snarl.

"I'll carry him until he can carry on… We don't leave a member behind Yamato, and I won't slow you down, if I do you can carry on without me as well." Sonea said, piercing Yamato with her rippling sharingan eyes as she was still in Jyuubi chakra mode.

" I may be Kakashi-san's replacement but we're two different people. I won't smile and say 'I won't let you get hurt'." Yamato said as Sakura and Sonea helped Naruto to sit up. This time Sonea did snarl and had Yamato by his flak jacket in a mere second.

"You may be two different people Yamato and I acknowledge that however, this is not ANBU and you know Kakashi would never leave someone behind, you are worse than scum." She said, letting him go roughly and supporting Naruto as they began to make their way after Sai and Orochimaru.


	6. Chapter 6

Yamato kept an unreasonable speed as they flew through the forest. Naruto stayed between Sakura and Sonea and watched Naruto as he nearly fainted a few times again. Naruto nearly hit a tree but recovered. Sakura swung with her hurt arm and began to fall, with Naruto trying to catch her. Yamato caught her and Sonea jumped down with the rest of the group. Yamato put her against a tree and Naruto kneeled in front of her as she breathed heavily from pain. Sakura tried to cover it up with another lie.

"Let's take a short break here. Sakura is the only medical ninja in the group and the success of the mission lies with her." Yamato said.

"I'm okay, we have to leave soon…" She said, trying to move but stopped with the pain. "You said so yourself Captain Yamato." Sakura said.

"I did say that earlier but I also said that haste makes waste. There's also a difference between hurrying and being reckless…. Since Sai left, Naruto, you'll be working as my buddy now and Sonea and Sakura work together. Let's work out our strategy together now. Come with me." Yamato said and they went off together and Sonea sat on her knees next to Sakura and began assessing her arm.

"I've done what I can." She said as she watched. Sonea ignored her question and kept searching for what she was looking for. Using some water out of her canteen, she placed it over Sakura's arm and coaxed the Kyuubi's chakra from her system and it began to pour into the water. Sakura watched with amazement. Once she pulled out what she could, she dug a hole in the ground and dropped the water as it corroded into the ground slightly and she covered the hole back up. She kept a passive face as she began to wrap it with a bandage.

"The pain should be more bearable now but not all of it could be removed." She said, finishing with the bandaging and sitting back with a smile as she slowly stopped using the Jyuubi's chakra and placed her wings and tail away and replacing the genjutsu over her one-tomoe eyes. She took a deep breath for the pain and relaxed.

"Sonea-san… Thank you for standing up for us back then and for helping with my arm and Naruto… I don't suppose you could teach me to help Naruto either." She said, a bit down. Sonea thought this over.

"I'll tell you what… If you work to increase the amount of chakra you have, I could teach you how to use chakra chains so ask Tsunade for more training when we get back, I'm sure she knows how to help you." Sonea said with a smile and Sakura looked up with hope shining in her eyes and Sonea nodded her head. Sakura literally tackled her to the ground with a hug and a few thankful tears and Sonea just laughed and hugged back. Sakura took out Sai's book that they found and they began to look through it. Naruto and Yamato came over a while later and they all began discussing the book before Yamato's clone checked in.

"My clone managed to follow them to their base. Let's get moving." Yamato said with a smile of triumph. They began running with renewed energy for the destination. Sakura and Naruto ran in front while Sonea stayed back with Yamato.

"Sonea…" Yamato called. Sonea looked sideways at him.

"What?" She asked, passively cool.

"I understand you are very protective of Naruto-kun and Sakura, however, they need to grow up and face harsh realities soon like the one we were forced to face back there… I also should have remembered Kakashi-senpai's teachings that have saved our comrades on more than one occasion and I know we could never leave Naruto on his own with Akatsuki after him… I am sorry for not thinking straight and forgetting what has saved me on more than one occasion." Yamato said with a slight bow of his head towards Sonea.

"Thank you Yamato, I accept your apology… I suppose old habits die hard huh?" She said with a smile and Yamato let out a small laugh. They came to an open and rocky area where they met up with Yamato's clone. He reabsorbed it and made Naruto, Sakura and Sonea swallow a seed to track them with. Sonea smiled and did it quickly to show the other two that it was okay. Yamato explained that Tsunade asked him to watch Sai like a hawk. The plan was then discussed and Yamato began to break in through the ground with a small crack and a shaft to slip through. They all suppressed their chakra while Sonea nearly extinguished hers due to it's intensity and began down the dark and spiralled corridors with small candles on the wall barely lighting the way to find Sai first.

Yamato traced him, using the tracking seeds he placed on Sai and they began running with Yamato in front, Sakura, Naruto and Sonea at the back. He was found easily in a locked room and he fake smiled as everyone filed in.

"Nothing less from the Hokage's personal ANBU. I see that corpse didn't fool you one bit." Sai said with his fake smile still in place.

"What do you mean by that?" Yamato asked in a cool tone. Naruto launched forward and grabbed Sai by the front of his shirt.

"Why the hell did you turn on us traitor?" Naruto asked angrily.

"You really shouldn't be so noisy or things will get even more difficult." Sai said. Naruto reluctantly let him go and Sakura handed his book back to him.

"What are they up to?" Sakura demanded after mentioning Danzo.

"He wants to team up with Orochimaru to try a new "Crush the Leaf' plan, doesn't he?" Yamato asked.

"No, he doesn't…" He said with a smile before Naruto cut him off.

"We know that smile is fake! And we also know that you're lying." Naruto said with restrained frustration. There was silence for a while before Sai spoke again.

"Now that you've all discovered me here, my mission is a failure. I can't finish you all off by myself. And since you've figured out this much, there's no point in hiding the truth. It's just as you said, We're trying to destroy the current Konoha." Sai 'confessed'. This made the hairs on Sonea's neck stand up… He was lying, he used what Yamato accused him of and used the pause to plan it carefully, plus he tried to deny it, making Sonea believe that he was actually going to tell the truth. Sonea knew that Danzo had tried to protect Konoha in his own twisted ways, he even went after rogue nin… She had her answer and she scowled.

"I was to be taken in by Orochimaru with the understanding that I would help him to conspire against Konoha. That is the true mission assigned to me." Sai said with a blank look. " That's not all, I'm also to secretly send back information on Orochimaru to Danzo-sama. In other words, I'm also working as a spy."

"Keep talking." Yamato instructed. "And don't leave a single thing out." Now pointing a kunai at Sai. He kept explaining about sending information back to use against Orochimaru when he betrayed them and how his words turn into animals so as not to be caught. He was just following orders, a heartless puppet. He was taken back when Sakura looked right through him with his book and for the first time he showed some true emotion. Yamato began explaining the test that Sai went through and how he would have had to fight his brother to the death according to his book. Sai explained that his brother died of an illness during the last examination and he didn't actually kill his brother. Sai gave in and they all returned to the surface and tied Sai up. Naruto explained that he wanted to save Sasuke because he was his friend and he didn't want to break that special and first ever bond with him.

They all narrowly dodged the Kunai that rained down on them as Kabuto came to land in front of Sai. Naruto launched and attack from the rock behind Kabuto but he managed to side step the rasengan and dispel the clone. He then launched and attack of clones and Yamato took the distraction to attack with his wood release but missed. Sakura ran up the piece of wood at Kabuto and barely dodged but was attacked by hornets. He cut Sai from his restraints only to have him turn against him.

"That bond, I want to see it for myself." Sai said to Naruto. Yamato jumped down next to them and Sonea moved to help Sakura with her arm.

"Sai, don't let him go." Yamato ordered as he restrained Kabuto with his wood release again. The moved him against a rock and Yamato created a wood clone to watch over him, Naruto continued to stare at Sai.

"Sai, what are you thinking?" Naruto asked him.

"I want to know why you go so far for Sasuke-kun, and what bonds really are. According to you two I still have bonds with my brother. If such bonds are really that important, then I might understand better if I see you and Sasuke-kun. That's all." He said with his 'smile'. Sonea felt like he was becoming a bit more human again but still kept his ultimate mission in mind. Kabuto began to laugh.

"What's so damn funny?" Sakura demanded.

"You idiots, you don't know the real Sasuke-kun." Kabuto said. Yamato stepped forward.

"Where is Sasuke… Answer me." Yamato ordered.

"By now, he's probably finished with his training and has gone back to his room in the inner area." Kabuto explained.

"It is true that Sasuke-kun left to train with Orochimaru. I don't think he is lying… But 'inner area' doesn't tell us much." Sai said, studying Kabuto.

"Even I don't know which room he's in. This place has rooms and spaces carved out everywhere. There is more than just one or two inner chambers." Kabuto said with a smirk.

"Then, we'll just have to search all of them." Naruto declared and Kabuto's smirk became wider.

"That could work. You might find him if you search at random like that. But, if you're not careful, you might disturb the wrong bush and have a snake jump at you… Orochimaru-sama's room is back there as well." Kabuto said happily. Yamato expressed his thanks even though Kabuto thinks they would all get killed and they returned underground with Sai. They began racing through the area and reached the centre before working back out and came to a t-junction and decided to split into two groups.

"The two groups will be Sakura and I and Naruto and Sai… What will you do Sonea?" Yamato asked quickly. She perfumed a summoning quickly with very little chakra and there was Storm.

"I'll go with Naruto and Sai and Storm will go with you two." Sonea said quickly and Yamato nodded.

"Just focus your chakra if something happens. I'll rush to you as quickly as I can. Okay, move out!" Yamato ordered and they all began running in their directions. Each and every room was being searched while Sonea relayed the entire situation to Storm and even told him about Sai's true mission. Naruto tripped and fell, grabbing Sonea's attention back.

"We've split into two search parties, we don't want to be to hasty, so let's rest a bit." Sai suggested and Sonea agreed with him.

"Shut up… I don't have time to rest. We'll find Sasuke any minute now." He said, trying to get up. Sonea sighed and hooked an arm under his chest and lifted him to lean with his back against a wall and he had passed out.

"We should be okay here for now so he can rest." She said, leaning on the wall across from him and slipping down to sit as Sai moved next to Naruto and sat down to. Naruto woke up a while later and looked around.

"So, you're finally awake." Sai said, watching him with slight worry showing through his eyes. They began to talk about Sai's brother and what they went through in ROOT. Sai began drawing in the book and showed them what he remembered he wanted to show his brother. It was his brother and himself holding hands in the middle and Sonea smiled.

"I'm sorry about ROOT ever existing as it was based on me from a long time ago but I'm glad that you got to meet someone as special as him in your life." Sonea said to Sai with a sad smile. He returned it with his 'smile'.

"Thank you Sonea-san." He replied. Sonea's eyes widened and she jumped up in defence as Orochimaru strolled over. Sai and Naruto looked up.

"All right Sai, whose side will you take now? Hidden shadow snake hands." Orochimaru launched his attack as Naruto and Sai stood up with Sonea. They all jumped back and away from the snakes. "It looks like you're on their side after all Sai… or whatever your name is."

"Naruto, Sai, you two keep going, I have a score to settle with him from long ago anyway." Sonea ordered them.

"But…" Naruto began.

"Go!" Sonea shouted and let her eyes glow red and they turned and ran to look for Sasuke.

"So, you've come here to take Sasuke-kun home, have you?" He said as they stared each other down. "Their persistence is impressive but will it really go their way?" He asked with sadist tone. Sonea snarled.

"I really don't care about Sasuke but I will help Naruto and keeping you busy while they go to look for him is what I'll do. I still owe you for killing Storm and trying to give me a curse seal." Sonea said as she charged. He flew out some more snake hands and Sonea brought out her blades on her arms, iron wings and tail and twisted in the air as they tried to wrap themselves around her. She took a punch to him and he kept dodging until she got her tail involved and grabbed him into a punch that landed dead on his face and he flew back. He sat up, laughing.

"Hatred is such a beautiful thing isn't it my dear immortal." He said as he slithered towards her like a snake. She charged right back at him and knocked the sword of Kusanagi out of her path with her one blade and made a stabbing move towards him but he twisted out of the way and he hit her with a kick to her face. She twisted and landed as graceful as a cat and glared back at him. She pulled her blades out of the ground that dug in while she was flying backwards and stood up straight. She thought for a few seconds and put her wings away, they would just slow her down in a tunnel anyway.

"I can see so much hatred in those beautiful red eyes of yours." He said with a paedophilic tone and his snake like tongue came out and slithered around before he placed it back. Sonea snarled once again and it made Orochimaru laugh which made her angrier. She was about to charge again when Yamato and Sakura appeared behind her. He scowled.

"I'll let you live for now. Please, do your best to kill at least one more Akatsuki for me. Now then, I have business with that Sai boy. If you'll excuse me." He said and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sonea snarled and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where are they?" Yamato asked Sonea. She seemed to be distant for a while but looked back to him.

"They split up and Storm found Naruto, as for Sai… I don't know. Let's go, I have something I need to tell you about Sai." She gestured and they began running, tracking Sai down. "With Sai being a ROOT member, he would have told you the truth back when we found him in that room but you stupidly gave him another excuse and he used it. He spoke shit about Sasuke when he was going to do it himself? I don't think so. ROOT have been known to go after rogue nin and kill them off if they threaten Konoha and that is what Orochimaru, Kabuto and Sasuke are however Danzo hasn't gone after Orochimaru for a long time after failing hundreds of times. He placed someone close to your age in the team and he is probably the best in his age group… He wouldn't be able to take on Orochimaru or even Kabuto but Sasuke threatens everything, if Orochimaru finally has his body, he will be unstoppable so…" Sonea said but stopped for them to figure it out.

"He was assigned to kill Sasuke?" Yamato asked.

"Exactly." Sonea said. There was a sudden explosion and they pushed faster and met up with Naruto and Storm as the short version was relayed back to Naruto. Light was seen at the end of a corridor and they all stopped. Sonea could feel Sasuke's darkened presence up ahead and got a slight shiver from it as well as Sai's presence. Sakura spotted Sai and ran for him and grabbed him by the collar. Naruto saw Sakura freeze and also ran for the entrance. Sonea and Yamato began running as well but walked into the clearing after confirming it was Sasuke.

"I assume Kakashi is with you as well?" Sasuke said with a lazy tone.

"Sorry, I'm not Kakashi-san. I'm here in his place. And the new Team Kakashi is taking you back to Konoha." Yamato said up to Sasuke.

"I'm surprised it is a five man cell and I didn't expect to see you again Sonea-san… Team Kakashi…" Sasuke said as he looked from right to left. Sai pulled out his tanto out to Sasuke.

"Sai, I knew it you're really…" Sakura shouted at Sai defensively. Everyone looked to Sai.

"So he's my replacement? Another loser joins the ranks. He said something about wanting to protect my 'bond' with Naruto." Sasuke said, still in his lazy tone.

"Sai, wasn't your mission to…" Sakura started.

"Yes, my secret mission was to assassinate Sasuke-kun. But I don't care about my orders anymore. I want to act of my own free will. And I think Naruto-kun can help me remember… What it was like to feel. I think it was something very important. I don't know much about you… but there must be a reason why Naruto-kun and Sakura-san came all this way just for you. They're going all out to keep their bond with you from being severed. I still don't understand it myself, but Sasuke-kun you should." Sai said with slight feeling to his voice and Sonea smiled while the others watched him, dumbstruck.

"Oh, I do… That's why I severed them!" Sasuke said heartlessly, they all turned back to watch Sasuke. Sonea saw the small quivering of muscles on Sasuke out of hatred and knew that was what was keeping him cool at that moment. "I have a different 'bond'… A bond of hatred with my brother. Other bonds merely confuse you and distract you from your greatest desire, and the emotions that matter." Sasuke said passively. Sonea narrowed her eyes at him and slipped her arms behind her back to form her blades, Sasuke would cut those bonds there.

"Then why… Why didn't you kill me?! Is this your idea of cutting off bonds Sasuke?" Naruto yelled at him.

"The reason is simple. It's not that I couldn't cut off my bonds with you. The idea of doing what he said in order to become more powerful made me sick… I don't owe you any explanation. All I'll say about back then… That day, I let you live on a whim." Sasuke said coolly. He moved in a blink and had a hand on Naruto's shoulder and holding onto his katana, already unsheathing it. "Come to think of it, wasn't your dream to become Hokage? You should've spent your time training instead of wasting it running around chasing me. Right Naruto? And this time, I'm going to kill you on a whim.'

"Someone who can't even save one friend isn't fit to become Hokage. Right Sasuke?" Naruto whispered back to him as Sasuke raised his katana and moved to stab Naruto. Sai and Sonea moved at impossible speeds to stop him. Sai grabbed his wrist and held his tanto to him around Naruto.

"That was the correct way to stop my attack." Sasuke said to him. Sonea came in for a lethal attack when he kicked her dead on in the ribs and sent her flying with impossible speed, slamming into a rock. Her weak ribs snapped once again and she coughed up a little blood as it punctured a lung. Naruto had grabbed onto Sasuke's arm and flipped out of his hold and Yamato moved into restrain him. Sasuke sent out a modified Chidori that destroyed the wood style and wounded Naruto and Sai. Sakura moved in to attack and Sasuke readied himself to counter. Sonea pulled herself up and moved to intercept. Unfortunately Yamato intercepted wrong and was stabbed in the shoulder. Sonea moved in with wind chakra on her blades and stopped the current running in Sasuke's katana into Yamato. She kicked at Sasuke who flipped out of the way effortlessly with his sword.

"To defend against my Kusanagi is impossible. You should know that Sonea-san." He said, charging back at her, liking the challenge against someone like Sonea. He cut right through her blades and into her arm, Sonea thought quickly and used wind chakra to stop the current once again and tried to use the iron to grab his sword from his hold. Naruto began to move and get up and Sasuke's attention was drawn to it. She grabbed his hand holding the sword and took a kick at him but he used the replacement technique and moved back Sasuke and Naruto kept their eyes on each other. Yamato took the distraction and tried to capture Sasuke but he broke out of their reach easily.

"Sasuke, why don't you get it? Orochimaru is going to take over your body." Naruto explained.

"If that's what happens, its what happens. You still think like a kid, Naruto. My revenge is everything to me. As long as I can exact it, I don't care what happens to me or anyone else. Here's the situation. Right now, neither I nor Orochimaru are a match for Itachi. If sacrificing my body to Orochimaru is the only way to kill him, I'd give up my life a million times over." Sasuke explained to them. Yamato decided to get serious and Sonea followed his lead after healing the wound on her arm and stood to follow him. Unfortunately Orochimaru and Kabuto stepped in and took him back with them as Team Kakashi was in no state to fight at that moment


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: ... My friend is dancing to Hero's Comeback LMFAO! It is an amazing song though... Anyway back to the story YAY!**

"What about Sai?" Tsunade asked Yamato and Sonea.

"Yes. Just as you predicted, he was assigned a top secret mission by Danzo." Yamato reported

"A secret mission?" Tsunade asked.

"Under Danzo's orders, Sai carried out his mission as an ANBU. He was assigned to assess and eliminate dangers to Konoha. Sai joined Team Kakashi as a means of getting to his target, Orochimaru and then carry out his mission of eliminating his future body, Sasuke." Yamato explained.

"I never could stand that man. He is pushy, overbearing and his methods are too brutal. And yet at the same time he's just thinking of Konoha's well being." Tsunade said.

"I suggest you hold that thought until you've taken a look at these." Yamato said, handing over the ANBU records. Yamato and Sonea watched in amusement as Tsunade ordered Shizune to change all guards and pass coded now. Yamato explained how Sai helped on the mission and what he said and Tsunade decided he could stay on the team from then. Sonea laughed but then flinched from pain in her still broken ribs. Unfortunately Tsunade saw it and dragged her back to the hospital room where Kakashi and Jiraiya were waiting.

"Either of you peek and I will bring you to an inch of your life!" She said to the two men who nodded quickly and the curtain was pulled around. Tsunade quickly removed her top and weapons out of her reach and began working on her ribs again. "What happened this time?" She asked. Sonea would have sighed if it didn't hurt.

"I moved in to attack Sasuke, misjudged my timing and he kicked me square on my healing ribs but they were probably already weak when I had some rubble fall on me. The lung was healed quickly by Sakura and I've been careful not to puncture it again." Sonea whined out in a board monotone. Tsunade finished and handed her a plain t-shirt and track pants.

"You will be staying overnight so I can check the healing in the morning." Tsunade ordered and opened the curtain after bandaging her ribs and she had finished getting dressed. Tsunade walked out of the room. Sonea had an angry look on her face as she threw the blanket back and got into the bed and flopped on her back with her hands behind her head, completely ignoring the pain, and stared up at the ceiling with an angry scowl. Jiraiya and Kakashi stayed dead quiet for a while and watched her.

"What?" She asked after a while and slid her head to the side to look at them.

"Nothing." Jiraiya said quickly. "I'll see you around Kakashi." He said, slipping out of the window. Sonea continued to scowl at Kakashi although her eyes had softened a bit. She sighed and faced the ceiling again. The hospital room stayed quiet as Sonea stared and Kakashi read his Icha Icha Paradise and they both enjoyed the quiet company.

"Kaka-sensei, we came to visit… Oh, Sonea, you're here too?" Sakura asked as Naruto and Sai followed in behind her.

"Yeah, Tsunade caught my broken ribs and decided this as punishment." Sonea said, jerking her head in Kakashi's direction. He looked up from his book and looked at Sonea with his eye smile.

"Did you say something Sonea-chan?" He asked. Sonea just sneered and looked away.

"So, you're the new team member… Sai right? Nice to meet you." Kakashi said to Sai who was rubbing his red cheek like Naruto.

"Yes sir." Sai said to him.

"Sakura, come here." Kakashi said, waving his hand lazily to her and whispered to her. " I see they have some scratches… Did they get in a fight already? I know Naruto well enough not to be surprised but…" Kakashi whispered to her and she jumped up.

"No, it's not that. Honestly, we get along well." She said happily.

"Oh, I see, that's good." Kakashi said.

"Kaka-sensei, while we were on our mission…" Naruto began.

"Yamato told me everything including Sasuke." Kakashi said, looking down with a bit of sadness and Sonea decided to turn on her side carefully and prop up her head on an elbow in her hand and listen.

"We're running out of time. At this rate he'll… We can't bring Sasuke back, not like we are now. He's to strong." Naruto said, a bit disheartened.

"Then, you'll just have to become even stronger right?" Kakashi said, looking back at his book.

" From what I saw, he's gotten so strong so fast, it was unbelievable. I asked Tsunade-sama, she said he's probably been learning forbidden techniques. And considering he has Kabuto behind him, probably using special drugs as well. Just reading isn't going to help me understand people who experiment on human beings." Sakura explained to Kakashi.

"Then we'll have to get stronger in an unbelievably short amount of time too." Kakashi said easily and Sonea just rolled her eyes.

"But how?" Sakura asked with a bit of frustration.

"You think I've been lying around doing nothing?" Kakashi said, not looking away from his book.

"Well it looks like that." Sonea sniggered but Kakashi ignored it.

"I've been mulling over this the whole time I've been here. And I've finally got an idea. But the trainings more suited to Naruto. Or more accurately, Naruto's more suited for it. Naruto, if this works, you may in a sense, surpass me." Kakashi said, looking up from his book.

"Me, surpass you?" Naruto said, a bit stunned.

"Yes. I'll be working with you the whole time but it'll be unlike any training you've done before." Kakashi said slyly.

"Even more different to my training style Kakashi-kun?" Sonea called over with a sadistic smirk and Kakashi seemed to shiver.

"You'll be learning the most powerful technique you can do by creating it yourself. Meaning you'll be learning a technique more powerful than rasengan. But to do so, you'll need to invest a massive amount of time and effort. It's not like those stories where the main character get ridiculously strong in a few days and also, it's going to be more difficult than rasengan, which someone else created. And which you learned through careful instructions." Kakashi explained, ignoring Sonea completely.

"Massive amount of time… but we don't have time, Sasuke's…" Naruto began in a panic.

"Relax, I figured out we can do it in no time at all." Kakashi said.

"How?" Naruto asked.

"Well we…" Kakashi began.

"How ya doing Kakashi?" Asuma asked from the door with his team.

"Asuma-sensei, at least knock first." Ino complained.

"Well, if it isn't Naruto and Sakura. You already finished your miss…" Shikamaru said, walking in with his team before eying Sai and scowling. "You're that guy…"

"Hi there." Sai said with his smile. Sai and Naruto began to explain why Sai attacked them when they were hanging out together. Sonea was hoping for a fight and was sitting up while Ino and Sakura joined her on her bed and Asuma sat on Kakashi's.

"I see, so that's what you were doing. All right, good enough for me." Choji said, eating his chips.

"Please, just call me Sai." Sai asked with his fake smile. "Don't worry about any suffixes." Ino leaned over to whisper in Sakura's ear.

"He's kinda cute, isn't he? He reminds me of Sasuke-kun." Ino said with a flirty look, Sonea just snorted and turned over to face the door and closed her eyes.

"Physically yeah but he's nothing like him. He's totally clueless." Sakura whispered back. Shikamaru walked over to Naruto.

"I heard about Sasuke from Tsunade-sama. I can help you next time something comes up now that the stupid chunin exam is over. I figured you'd make chunin easily this time too." Shikamaru said to Naruto who just looked down and smiled. "Ah well, maybe next time." Shikamaru finished.

"So, why're you all here? This isn't a lounge." Kakashi finally asked Asuma.

"True, true. You guy's go ahead to the barbeque. Team Kakashi's invited to join too. Kakashi and I have a few things to discuss. It's my treat, so no objections, right?" Asuma said and everyone left after Naruto freaked out about training. The door finally closed and Asuma stood up and Sonea stood up and walked over to Kakashi's bed and sat down next to him to listen.

"It's good to see you Asuma." Sonea said with a smile to him.

"Yes it is good to see you too… May I have a word with Kakashi?" He asked. She moved to leave but Kakashi caught her around the waist.

"She can stay, she knows more than any of us do… If you are about to talk about what I think you are." Kakashi said protectively. Asuma nodded and moved to the window.

"Word is the other villages are gearing up too." Asuma began.

"So it's true…" Kakashi said, gripping Sonea tighter.

"If they're after the bijuu, they'll clearly target the village. Well, Naruto at any rate." Asuma began. The door suddenly opened and Shikamaru stood there.

"You don't have to leave me out. I'm concerned about Akatsuki's movements too." He said, eying Sonea and Asuma caught it as Shikamaru moved into the room. "Will Naruto be all right? I mean, they even took Gaara. If they come after him…" Shikamaru said, stopping next to Kakashi's bed.

"He wouldn't stand a chance…" Kakashi said sadly, pulling Sonea closer. "Not yet." Kakashi said, looking determined and Sonea smiled slightly.

"Sonea, may I ask about what you know of the situation?" Asuma asked, turning to her. She closed her eyes and smirked.

"Shikamaru… Would you like to explain my situation to your sensei?" She said with amusement in her voice.

"Shikamaru knows to?" Kakashi asked, surprised.

"He caught me when we were working on the chunin exams together and began placing the pieces together, he would have figured it out eventually. Nothing gets past a Nara." She said smiling at Kakashi and Shikamaru.

"Okay, now I'm really confused. What are you talking about?" Asuma asked and Shikamaru sat on Sonea's abandoned bed and began to explain Sonea's situation. "This is bad, does Akatsuki know about this?" Asuma asked, a bit freaked out.

"No. In the past, only Hokage's and jinchuuriki knew about this. The only other people who know right now are Shizune, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Sakura, Yamato, Shikamaru and now you… That's a long list…" She said, thinking of it sarcastically. Asuma sat on Sonea's abandoned bed next to Shikamaru with wide eyes.

"So what exactly happens if we don't change fate and loose all of the bijuu?" He asked, like he had just seen a ghost.

"My seal will break and the part of the Jyuubi I contain will return to its original body and I will die. The world will be trapped in the torture of the Jyuubi once again, however Akatsuki want to use it." Sonea said heartlessly. A little while later they both left and Kakashi just held onto Sonea.

"Oh, so now you want my attention?" She said with her arms crossed with mock annoyance, looking at him.

"I'm sorry… It just feels a bit awkward to act around everyone else with you." He said, pulling her under the covers and they lay down with Sonea's head on his chest, listening to his beating heart. She smiled and closed her eyes.

"Well now Asuma know about us and I think Guy might know as well but however you want it right now… I don't mind as long as we get moments like this." She said happily as he ran his hand through her hair he loved so much. Naruto came in a bit later and took Sonea's bed as his own and Kakashi and Sonea ended up sharing for the night. The next morning Sonea was cleared to leave under light duty and she moved over to check Kakashi.

"Everything seems fine. Okay, we'll discharge you today." Tsunade said with a slight sigh.

"Is it because you want me to rid of the extra baggage over there?" Kakashi asked and they all looked over to Naruto sleeping and wrapped around a pillow like a monkey.

"That was a factor." Tsunade said.

"Naruto. He's been holed up in here the whole time saying his training could start any minute." Sakura complained.

"Well, your not the one who lost their bed to him last night." Sonea said with her arms crossed and leaning against the windowsill.

"I thought I'd have a few days to be lazy… Er, recover at my house. But I'm completely out of books to read so we might as well get his training going." Kakashi said before Naruto began shouting in his sleep. Sakura stalked over to him and yelled right in his ear. She beat him up quite spectacularly after calling her a 'ugly whore' in his half asleep state. Tsunade, Sakura and Naruto, after telling him his training would start that afternoon, left the hospital room and Sonea left with some lame excuse and arrived at her club that was still closed. She sighed; she had nothing better to do so she began to work on her slack muscles on a pole and began chanting through the pain.

Kakashi walked in a while later and began watching in awe. He watched her lips chanting;' Work it harder, make it better, do it faster, makes us stronger.' Kakashi was now leaning against the bar and decided he had watched enough and whistled out a cat whistle which stopped her dead upside down by one leg arching her back and other leg back and now glaring at him.

"What do you want?" She asked with her arms crossed, still hanging off the pole upside down.

"Well, since you know Naruto so well, I was wondering if you want to help me train him… Tenzo will be there too." Kakashi suggested in a boarded tone with a shrug. She swung into a standing position and leaned against the pole with her arms crossed.

"Fine, but I have a mission later." She said, studying him. Her eye glanced to the clock and knew he was already late and was waiting for her. She put back her weapons and followed him to the training field.

They decided to get going and Naruto expressed how happy he was to be trained by Kakashi again and how nostalgic it felt. He began talking about chakra nature and shape manipulations and Naruto already had shape manipulation down thanks to his rasengan. It was always amazing to watch Kakashi form Chidori but step-by-step, it seemed all the more awesome. Kakashi then began to explain the five-chakra natures; Lightning, Wind, Fire, Water and Earth and luckily left out light and dark manipulation for much later.

"You currently have zero chakra natures." Kakashi said, taking out the paper to determine your chakra nature. "You don't even know which elemental natures you're more suited to." The paper in Kakashi's hand crumpled to show lightning natured chakra and explained what the other four would do. Naruto received a piece and it ripped in half for Wind nature, which wasn't a huge shock since Minato was Wind natured.

"Your manipulation training starts now. It usually takes a huge amount of time to learn the method. But, I've thought of a way to make it extremely fast. What we'll do is…" Kakashi started as Yamato came bounding onto the field.

"Hey, what kind of nature manipulation is your wood element?" Naruto asked him excitedly. Kakashi whispered to him for a demonstration and an explanation that it was both earth and water mixed together to form wood. A huge cliff and waterfall were formed. Kekkei genkai's were briefly explained as that is what the wood release was and how they couldn't be copied.

"Hey, Sonea-san, what elements do you use, I've never seen you use any before so …" Naruto asked Sonea who smiled. She grabbed a piece of paper from Kakashi and held it up in front of him. The paper crinkled, ripped and got soggy and Naruto stared wide-eyed.

"I have many kekkei genkai's as well as something called a kekkei toura. What you just witnessed was my toura, I can use wind, lightning and water at the same time to create a new element, Storm release. A genkais consists of two elements but a toura is three or more and is extremely rare. My genkai's is my eyes and blood. My red eyes are the same as that boy Ranmaru you met once but I can't cancel out the byakugan. My blood, I am able to manipulate freely as well as cells of the body which is why I can form my wings and tail." She did just that." With my blood, I can separate it into different components like this." She concluded by forming a kunai out of the iron in her blood and passing it to Naruto to throw. Yamato brought it back down and handed it back to her and she reabsorbed it. Naruto looked like a kid in a candy store.

"So can you only use those three elements?" He asked lastly and Sonea shook her head.

"I can use Lightning, wind, fire, water and a few earth as well as dark manipulation similar to Shikamaru… This should also explain why Choji can use the expansion jutsu as his bloodline carries that particular gene to use it." Sonea explained and all eyes were now wide and on her.

"You… What about yang release?" Yamato asked quickly. Sonea smiled and shrugged.

"Never got the hang of it… Now, where were we?" She asked Kakashi, quickly changing the subject.

"How to make training take no time." Naruto reminded them. Kakashi then went on to the use of shadow clones and gave leaves to his clones to try and cut with chakra. They all leaned against the now bare tree and watched on.

"How can you use so many elements?" Kakashi grabbed her and pulled her by her shoulders behind the tree with Yamato listening from the top. She currently had her back against the tree and his hands tight on her shoulders and watching her intently.

"All the elements for storm release were learned before my seventh birthday. Yin release by the time I was ten. Fire by fifteen and earth by sixteen when I finally had the Jyuubi sealed into me." Sonea explained with her arms crossed and feeling a bit defensive. Kakashi fell on his ass at this comment.

"Even before you became immortal, you had that talent… Amazing! I never knew, I thought it was impossible." He said in slight shock.

"Bullshit, I know you have at least one jutsu for each of the five natures in your inventory of a thousand jutsu's, you're just as talented. Now, if you two have finished interrogating me, I have a mission to get to." Sonea said, walking among the sea of Naruto's to the original. "I have a mission now but I'll be back soon, good luck." She said, patting him on the shoulder and heading for ANBU HQ.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm back! I just seriously lost my groove for the last week... or two... But I'm back now and i apologise and here we are to carry on with the story YAY! **

Sonea arrived back to the Hokage's tower felling something strange, there were two jinchuuriki's with the Kyuubi's chakra and the other wasn't a clone. She slipped into the office to see Yamato reporting to Tsunade and stayed in the shadows to listen.

"So, that's what happened." Tsunade said.

"The corpses that were stolen were those who helped to stop the coup d'etat at the cost of their own lives; Kitane, Nauma, Touou and Seita." Yamato reported and Sonea thought what Tsunade voiced.

"What did you say?!" She asked, shocked with some anger.

"I'm truly sorry. There were four thieves. They seemed to have everything planned out." Yamato apologised with a slight bow.

"I wonder what they're planning to do with those corpses? This could become a serious problem if there's some sort of important secret hidden within them." Shizune expressed and Tsunade sat back with her eyes closed in thought.

"Also, Sai was injured in battle and has to leave the team for a while. I'd like to replace him with that boy trainee from the Fire temple but… well…" Yamato began a bit sheepish. Sonea slipped out in full bloody ANBU uniform.

"Let me guess, he doesn't get along with him." Sonea said with a sigh. "Anyway, mission complete. Now, what's the trouble with the Twelve Ninja Guardians… and why are there two Kyuubi presences?" Sonea asked with accusation and crossed arms. Tsunade sighed and waved for Sonea to remove her mask as she continued her report with Yamato.

"So, you think those four grave robbers were lying in wait for you." Tsunade concluded.

"At the time, I thought we could avoid problems by having Chikaru-san, who seemed the most likely to be targeted, leave the team. And Naruto is important to the Akatsuki as a jinchuuriki. It isn't completely out of the question that they were after Naruto, but they only found us at the Fire temple by chance." Yamato explained and Sonea now had an angry scowl.

"So that leaves the boy, Sora." Tsunade concluded, answering Sonea's earlier question.

"Yes, in which case, bringing him to the village and working with him isn't the best strategy. Of coarse, I've also consulted the Fire temple on this matter." Yamato admitted. Tsunade turned her chair and looked outside.

"Call them in." Tsunade said to Yamato.

"Naruto, Sakura, bring Sora on in!" Yamato called to outside.

"We're here." Sakura said dragging behind her a teen with brown eyes and blue/grey hair. Sonea didn't quite catch what Sora said to Tsunade but she turned around to see him fly through the door. Tsunade kept attacking him and Sonea began to smirk in amusement. He managed to cover his tracks very quickly and Tsunade turned as nice as pie to him. The mission was discussed with the rest of the team while Sora and Sonea eyed each other the whole time before they excused themselves and went off on their own. Tsunade stood up and began walking and Sonea followed her.

"So, you said your mission was complete, the rogue nin are disposed of?" She asked.

"Yes, all twenty of them found, disposed of and traces undiscoverable… Sorry it took me so long. I suppose Kakashi is on another mission at the moment?" Sonea said, a bit annoyed at that fact.

"He is. At the moment he is getting reports in of Akatsuki's movements as they have been inactive for a while and should be moving again. Sit down." Tsunade ordered and Sonea only just realised where they were… The hospital.

"I'm fine." She said harshly. She hissed in pain when Tsunade grabbed her leg and Sonea looked confused at it. "Huh… So that's why I was limping earlier oh, and can you check my ribs again… I got hit but I think they are okay." Sonea said, defeated… She hated hospitals and she always got tricked into being in it. Sonea was placed on light duty for a while with Team Kakashi.

She spent the day studying the Sora kid from the shadows and Naruto was left to show him around. She was intrigued that he had some of the Kyuubi's chakra in him as well and kept his left hand bandaged. He was a kid as troubled as Naruto due to the uncontrollable power he contained. Asuma jumped down next to her on the tree branch and they watched in comfortable silence while Naruto, Sora, Kiba, Akamaru and Choji got in a fight and Shikamaru just ignored it and Asuma and Sonea jumped down to join him.

"You're not gonna ask why I didn't join in?" Shikamaru said with a smirk, wharfing away the smoke from Asuma's cigarette.

"That's not your thing right? The four of them going at it is enough." Asuma replied.

"There's one more person around who'll join in." Shikamaru and they all looked to see Lee running over.

"A meeting where men are expressing their feelings of friendship through fist fighting?! Why didn't anyone tell me about this?!" Lee shouted as he joined in the battle royal. Asuma sighed and Sonea smirked in amusement.

"They're all pretty tough. This could go on forever." Shikamaru said with annoyance.

"Alright, I guess that's enough." Asuma said as he jumped in the middle to stop Sora and Naruto, Shikamaru caught Kiba, Akamaru and Lee in his shadow and Sonea managed to grab Choji before he hit Shikamaru with her wings. They all got a whack on their heads by Asuma and offered barbeque. They all left and Sonea went home for a nice rest.

The next morning, Sonea broke into Kakashi's apartment to steal a copy of each Icha Icha to read for the day since Team Kakashi would be running formations for the day. Naruto promised to train properly if Yamato answered some questions he had about nature manipulation when a question caught her attention from the tree she was sitting in and reading.

"So is it rare for someone to have all five elements?" Naruto asked suddenly. Sonea decided to jump down to answer that question.

"It is extremely rare and you're lucky to meet someone who can in your life time. However, there are people who 'cheat' in a way that they can use all five elements. Take Kakashi for example; he can use lightning, earth, water and fire techniques but he gained some of them through his sharingan which in a way I consider cheating… Do you get it?" She asked as she placed Icha Icha Paradise into her pouch and Naruto nodded in understanding.

"If that's your only question then we can get back to learning our formations." Yamato said and Asuma began laughing from above.

"You're going to make a temporary team like that learn formations? That's a waste of time. Naruto isn't the type to think before acting for starters. The same goes for Sora." Asuma informed Yamato.

"Don't lump me in with him!" Sora shouted at him.

"They're both power-types who are better suited for charging straight in. Put them in front and let them clear a path then send in the rest of the team after them." Asuma suggested and Yamato looked a bit stunned.

"I don't disagree but…" Yamato said, a little conflicted. Sonea jumped back into her tree to read while Asuma jumped down to help Yamato.

"There's no way you'll get those two to learn a new formation so suddenly. Just have them work along side one another for a while to get a rapport going." Asuma said smugly.

"And after that?" He asked defeated.

"Then comes formation training." Yamato agreed and smooth talked Asuma into training them as he was on stand by and help Naruto and Sora with the wind natures they have. Sonea smirked and walked with Yamato and Sakura back to the village, still reading her book just like Kakashi normally did… she now understood why he did it, avoiding peoples gazes and they all ignored you if you look like you're busy.

"You definitely learned well from your Senpai Yamato." She said with a smirk behind her book and Yamato laughed evilly. Later on, Yamato and Sonea learned that Sora was Kazuma's son and she was caught up on the whole story concerning Asuma. Sora was kept under tight surveillance after the disaster at the Fire Temple caused by him.

"There is something odd about him, he seems almost to much like Naruto in more than one sense. It feels almost like he is the jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi but it's impossible… I hope we can get to the bottom of this." Sonea voiced her opinion and Tsunade agreed and they were dismissed.

Two days later, Sonea was sent out on an ANBU mission with many others to detain Danzo and his accomplice from Amegakure. The accomplice gave up easily but Danzo tried to get away but ANBU outnumbered them both and they were returned to Konoha in chains and Sonea stood with Tsunade when she entered the chamber with Yamato and Asuma. Danzo kept a stupid grin on his face the whole time.

"Explain yourself Danzo. When the boarder situation with Amegakure is in such chaos, what is so important that you'd risk meeting with an enemy shinobi?… Are you listening?" Tsunade ordered.

"Just a moment please? I remember seeing this guy before. When I was in ANBU he went missing during a mission. I believe his name is Tatsuji." Yamato informed, looking at the Ame nin.

"So this is the plant that Danzo sent to Amegakure?" Asuma said.

"So, you've been stirring things up on your own. I don't know what you were looking for in Ame, but you will share the information you have gathered. Was Ame involved in the attack? " Tsunade asked Danzo who laughed. Sonea sensed someone and signalled for a few ANBU to check it out and they disappeared soundlessly.

"You don't even have that much information. Tsunade-hime, it's fine with me if you put on airs for the moderate faction., but your carelessness will lead the village to ruins." Danzo said cockily and Sonea gave a silent snarl behind her mask.

"You didn't plan on cooperating from the start. Fine with me. In that case " Tsunade began walking away.

"Stop. Do you think he'll talk that easily?" Danzo said confidently.

"There are plenty of ways to deal with this. I'm counting on you Ibiki." Tsunade said to him as he stored on over and Tatsuji began to panic in his body language. The two council members walked in suddenly and Sonea let out another silent snarl.

"Danzo, Tatsuji is not only your plant, he has been sharing information with us at the same time. We are all Konoha citizens. Call him a double agent." Homura said, patting Tatsuji's shoulder.

"According to reports, Ame was not involved in the boarder attack. And according to Tatsuji a few days ago, a gang of four people robbed the tombs at the Fire Temple. Apparently, the four strange priests who attacked and violated Fire Temple were on a sacred mission." Koharu informed Tsunade.

"As you have seen, those four were trying to get their hands on that boy Sora from the Fire Temple." Homaru said.

"Tsunade, you should know about what happened with that boy at the Fire Temple." Koharu said.

"We do however…" Sonea said, removing her mask and hooking it onto her belt. She heard Asuma have a small intake of breath. "Information this important should have been discussed with the Hokage who controls the missions and shinobi who take them. But, moving on swiftly, we know he has some sort of power and it could or could not be connected to the robberies and the safest place for him to be is in the village. Just because he lost control over ten years ago doesn't mean anything… You have no rule over him." Sonea stated harshly with an impassive face.

"We can't send him back to the Temple… Should we imprison him?" Homaru suggested and this time Sonea did snarl.

"No. His presence will stir up fear in the villagers so we must deal with this in a more direct manner." Danzo said easily.

"So kill him?" Tsunade asked to make sure.

"Over my dead body." Sonea said under her breath and growling low in her throat.

"Tsuande, since you are the Hokage, make a decision. One that's beneficial for Konoha, that is." Koharu said with a slight mirth dancing in his eyes.

"I refuse." Tsunade before she was interrupted by Sora, being held by ANBU. Sora attacked with outrage when he learned that Asuma killed his father. Sonea followed the ruckus outside when kunai flew at Sora and Naruto got in the way, Sonea gave chase to the ROOT who attacked.

Sonea was making her way to the Hokage's tower to confirm her capture when she looked up at the storm brewing… It gave her a bad feeling when she saw two shadows run out of the Hokage's office broken window, she ran in, fearing the worst as the power went out and saw Tsunade, Shizune and two ANBU.

"What happened?" She asked quickly.

"Sora attacked Tsunade-sama and Naruto gave chase after protecting her, we're having a captain meeting right away." Shizune informed her as she ran out quickly with ANBU.

"Sonea, scan the area from the sky and report back quickly." Tsunade ordered and she took off out the broken window into the sky. The whole village was in a power failure and some of the outer towns that she could see, something definitely wasn't right. Something looked off as she scanned the forest, she saw four people fighting Konoha shinobi with what looked like Ame symbols on their hats and took off back to Tsunade at the tower on the roof.

"Report!" She said quickly.

"Yes! Four people have been spotted clashing with Konoha ninja and I think they might be behind this. They are wearing capes with hats that appear to have Ame symbols on them. As for the power outage, it spreads to bordering towns to the village… It's not normal, what are my orders Tsunade-sama." Sonea asked quickly.

"We need you to engage with the enemy at the main gate. Defend and await further orders, you have command down there." Tsunade said as they re-entered her destroyed office. Sonea nodded to Tsunade, Shizune and Sakura in turn as she took off back out the broken window once again. Four towers appeared within Konoha walls and created a barrier around the outer wall. Sonea landed at the main gate next to Genma and agreed with his lead as they began attacking the corpses and Sonea used the storm brewing overhead to her full advantage. After a while the corpses or zombies began to disappear and the bad feeling got stronger… The Kyuubi chakra flared up and she instantly took off for the red chakra that was appearing over the village and kept intensifying and the light disappeared which was a bad sign. Sonea got there at the same time Yamato and Sakura did and joined them.

"Stop Sora. Don't use its power." Naruto begged him. Naruto barged in and Sonea used him like a shadow to get close enough when a pure chakra blast was let out by him. Sonea managed to block Naruto using her iron wings and Sakura and Yamato came up next to them and restrained Sora with wood release.

"Captain Yamato, can't you suppress the Kyuubi chakra like you did with me?" Naruto asked desperately. Yamato explained that he can't because of Naruto's necklace was the reason he could. Sora soon broke out of the wood and became angrier.

"Naruto… I need you to keep him distracted for a while. I will be able to suppress it like Yamato does but I need time to prepare, can you do it?" Sonea asked quickly.

"Alright, but please hurry." He said as the third tail sprouted and Sonea fell back into the woods to begin pulling on the Jyuubi chakra to use and natural chakra to hold it in place. Naruto began to loose himself to the Kyuubi but surprisingly pushed it back himself and Sora was in stage two already when Sonea was finally ready. Naruto charged and a claw swung at him when Sonea stepped in and stopped it with her chain like tails and grabbed onto him.

"Chakra chain barrier jutsu." Sonea performed and chains flew around him and chained him down. "You've done well Naruto, get Sakura to heal you, I'll take it from here." Sonea said, turning back to him with a smile. Naruto just shook his head with a smile.

"I need to be there when he wakes up." He said back to her. She shook her head and gestured for him to stand back a little. She walked up to Sora and stood right in front of him with a hard face. She didn't even flinch when he roared right in her face. She held up a hand with natural chakra hovering around it and slapped it onto his forehead. The chakra began reseeding instantly and she lay him gently on the ground as Naruto came over to him.

Sora left to go travelling the next day after being treated for his injuries and everything was back to normal once more.

A/N: Yay! Sora Arc over with! Review please?


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay, i had a huge argument with myself about this next chapter regarding the Naruto Movie involvements in my story. I've included the second movie: Bonds and the third movie in this story because the other's are just to hard to include and fit in in the right time places and such. I was thinking of doing a little side story connected to this series of mine full of little drabbles and such and maybe include the other movies into them and if i get enough of a calling for them i'll do it but if not then i'm not going to bother. Enjoy this chapter and i'm making it a double post because i feel bad about not posting for a while. R&R**

Sonea was resting at home after the strain of the massive amount of Jyuubi chakra and natural chakra she used when Sora went on a rampage. She was relaxing in the armchair with her eyes closed when she heard an explosion off in the distance. She was at the window like a shot and saw hundreds of flying ninja? With machine kunai launchers? This was bad news, she geared up quickly and took to the skies where she would have the advantage for the village.

Sonea was pissed but excited as she got to play on home ground, she launched off of her tower with her wings and tail in iron and blades running the length of her arms and began an onslaught of her own. Wrapping her wings around her in a twisting motion, the kunai's bounced off of her and twisted with her wings spread out when she came to the enemy to cut up their chakra infused flying gear, yes, she was giving them a run for their money when they came up against her. After a while they began to pull back because they had run out of chakra so Sonea created a transformed shadow clone to follow them back and went straight to Tsunade at the same time as Kakashi and Yamato.

"Tsunade-sama, thank god you're safe." Yamato confirmed.

"Yes… But I wish I had been the only one who got hurt… They've overrun the entire village but they didn't finish us off which means they must have some greater objective in mind." Tsunade concluded sadly as she stared out at her ruined village.

"Shinobi from Sora no Kuni?" Kakashi said a bit bewildered.

"I've had a shadow clone follow them back and confirm their destination as they only fell back because they were running low on chakra. I will alert you of their position as soon as possible." Sonea spoke up as she entered the office a bit slowly and noticed the blood she was loosing. "Sorry, I'm bleeding on your floor." Sonea said as she pulled a kunai out of her leg and began healing it. She was picked up bridal style by Kakashi quickly and placed on the couch and noticed her predicament. She had a few kunai in her legs as well as her back and sides. Tsunade and Shizune rushed over and helped with the healing and noticed her wings and tail as well as her blades. "They weren't to happy when I fought back on their home grounds, Sai will be useful as well with his talents if we are going to strike back." Sonea said and Shikamaru rushed in as well as Neji.

"I've calculated the remaining chakra they had with Neji's help to give us an exact distance as to where they could be recuperating." Shikamaru said as he rushed in and noticed Sonea. He went over to Tsunade's desk with her and he began to point out the possibilities and Sonea listened while Shizune and her finished with her injuries. Her shadow clones memories suddenly rushed back to her.

"They're at the sea boarders, I got a clone to follow… Any plan Shikamaru?" Sonea asked as she went to stand with him by the map to point out where they were.

"Yes but it'll rely heavily on you and Sai's stamina and I'll also need Shino for the main attack on their ships, are you ready to go?" Shikamaru asked with a grin at Sonea who returned it back.

"Sure." She said eagerly.

"Okay then Shikamaru, I'll also send Kakashi out with you as well and good luck, we're counting on you." Tsunade said as they walked out of the office to find Sai and Shino. They were soon found and the squad began on their way to the coastline at full speed.

"Okay, here's what's going to happen. Sai and Sonea will keep the enemy distracted, making them think we don't have the military power to fight them on their grounds with Kaka-sensei and I as back up if they get tired. During that time, Shino will sneak up on them and destroy them from the inside using his insects to take the ships apart, does everyone know what they are doing?" Shikamaru asked as they arrived at the coastline and they all nodded and Shikamaru led Sai to the coast first, just out of their sight and Sai went to work.

"Just as Tsunade-sama said, looks like they're getting ready to move to their second objective. Astonishing, their aircraft carriers are here just off of our coast. You're calculations and Sonea's quick thinking were perfect." Kakashi praised them.

"Well, it's the same way worker bees get their way back to the beehive, I just narrowed down the possible flight distance from the chakra amount I got from Neji's byakugan and thanks to Sonea and her quick thinking and abilities, she narrowed it down perfectly." Shikamaru said modestly.

"Even so, sending a single five-man squad was bold. Typical Shikamaru." Kakashi said.

"Well, with those ships, they could always retreat to the open ocean, so I figured we should let the Sora nin think that we don't have the military means to counter them, that way, they'll stick around long enough for us to do some real damage." Shikamaru said and they continued to watch Sai.

"Looks like Sai are at his limit." Kakashi said, getting ready to move out before Shikamaru stopped him and Sonea stepped out with a grin, to take Sai's place and sent out a spark of lightning to signal him.

"You take care of the rest." Sai said as he passed over Sonea. She stretched and spread her wings, colliding straight into the last person Sai didn't get to and carried on, wary of the mistakes she made the last time she faced the Sora ninja. She decided it was fun to have someone on the same level as her regarding the flying and played nicely with her toys, dodging every attack they threw at her and taking them down quickly. Shikamaru signalled for her to return to the beach and landed as they all came out of the bushes and watched on at the ships.

"It's about time." Kakashi said, itching for battle.

"It appears they have finished refuelling. We'll have to go up against another full-scale attack." Sai said.

"Don't worry, if it comes down to it I can do it." Sonea said, fiddling with her locket beneath her clothing when Shino appeared out of the water.

"There is no need to worry about that. Why you ask? Simple, because there is no way that I failed." Shino said calmly as their ships began to fall apart and Sonea began to giggle at how Shino put it.

"Now that was something else." Shikamaru said to Shino with relief and slight amusement. They watched for a while to make sure no other attack was coming when Sonea felt a massive power surge and grabbed everyone onto the ground as a massive blast shot across the sea… Everyone was in shock.

"What the hell!… I'm going to check it out, any objections?" Sonea asked, still in shock.

"No… be my guest." Shikamaru said, also still in shock. Sonea then took off, following the carnage that the blast left as she felt the Kyuubi chakra flare and die down again and came across an air ship and saw Hinata on it and landed on the deck. Hinata rushed over to her as well as a red haired girl.

"Naruto-kun is still in there!" Hinata said in panic as she pointed to a breaking down flying Temple. Sonea flew at full speed towards the temple as she knew he had no way off of the thing. Naruto spotted her and they shared a look before he jumped out of the dying building and began to fall. Sonea took the hint and began to dive for him, using the iron to weight her down more to go faster. Once they got each other in a strong hold, Sonea reopened her wings and began to pull up with wind chakra enhanced flaps and she eventually slowed her decent down to land safely on the beach by Kakashi, Shikamaru, Sai and Shino, surprisingly, Jiraya was also there now as well. Sakura, Yamato, Neji and Choji as well as a few other ninja who came along. The airship landed and Hinata and the red haired girl rushed over to him and Sakura gave him a lecture while she healed some of the damage he had.

Sonea moved to the cover of the forest to rest as pain struck her in her eyes. She took out a hand mirror and removed the genjutsu to see two tomoes in her one eye now, meaning that the Niibi was being sealed at that moment.

"Are you okay?" Kakashi asked from behind her. She placed the mirror away and stood to look at him without the genjutsu and he understood. "Well, Naruto is okay but he'll have to stay in the hospital for a little while to recover and everyone is on their way back now, want to walk with me?" He asked, offering her a hand that she happily took and kept all the way back to Konoha as they travelled at the back. They let go as they came into view of Konoha and they both went straight to Tsunade's office to report.

"Report!" She asked straight away, obviously, something was on her mind.

"The Sora-nin are no longer a threat and were finished off by their own weapon that Naruto successfully destroyed and has been taken back to the hospital for his injuries." Kakashi reported and Tsunade looked up with a steely gaze.

"And your previous mission Kakashi?" She asked.

"I've confirmed there were seven battles in five neighbouring countries with a two-man shinobi team. While they haven't crossed Hi no Kuni boarders yet, judging from their path, it's only a matter of time before they try." Kakashi informed Tsunade and Sonea.

"Alright, anything else from either of you two?" Tsunade asked coldly.

"Yes, there is. The Niibi has been captured and is being sealed at this very moment, it began before we started to make our way back… And may I ask, why the fowl mood Tsunade… What did the council say this time?" Sonea asked, noticing the type of look she got from her.

"They called Konoha a laughing stock, nearly being destroyed by four shinobi and that I was a bad leader… Damn them!" She shouted, shattering her desk in two. Kakashi flinched while Sonea remained impassive.

"Ignore them Tsunade, they don't know what they're talking about. If they shared their information, we probably wouldn't have gotten into that situation and they don't know the work you are doing to protect the ninja world by protecting Naruto from Akatsuki either so ignore them like I do and they will soon realise you're not a push over like your sensei was… As for Danzo… Just treat him like a robot." Sonea said and Tsunade actually laughed. They were dismissed and left a laughing Tsunade behind.

"Well, I'm going to visit Naruto and make sure he stays in the hospital and doesn't slip out to train. Are you coming with me?" Kakashi asked Sonea as they walked next to each other.

"No, I better get home and clean up but I'll meet you there later and maybe we can go and have some lunch… We did promise each other a date when we have the time and now seems like the only time." Sonea said with a little blush and Kakashi eye smiled. "So… See you later." Sonea shimmered to her home to clean up.

She began to think as she walked out of the shower and began to dry her hair. She had some time to kill and her apartment needed a good clean out. She dressed quickly and put on a long sleeved shirt and apron over her uniform to protect it from dust and dirt as she began to clean. Her secret panel opened after everything in her cupboard fell out and she noticed her photo album. She picked it up and sat on her bed, she smiled with nostalgia, as the first page was three group photos of her circle and herself, each with the new member, almost like a team photo. She turned over and there were pictures of Sora, Chief and the dragons, Turtle Island and Mount Myoboku. Sora was so young in the one photo as Sonea laughed at the funny faces it was a good day.

The next page had the Senju family, one of the rare times they were together and all smiling. There was a picture of Kenjin, Taka's dad and she ran her fingers over the pictures and memories in her head that she had left. Turning over was pictures of the peace ceremony of the Senju's and Uchiha's and pictures of Konoha in its beginning and the Senju brothers with Mito.

She didn't even notice Kakashi come in or that she had tears running down her face. He watched from the door as Sonea had a small smile and loving hooded eyes as she looked at the album, he didn't want to ruin the moment so he leaned his shoulder against the door, crossed his arms and one foot over the other. She turned over again and smiled, they were pictures of Minato and Kushina when they were younger and Sonea had just met them, even Hiruzen was in two of them. She wiped her tears and her smile faded as her head dropped and her body started to shake with the crying and pain she felt. Kakashi moved next to her and sat next to her as he wrapped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her to him as he pulled the album to rest on both of their laps and he looked at the pictures.

"This was just after I met them and brought them to Konoha… They never changed, did they?" Sonea said emotionful and Kakashi nodded in agreement as he turned the page. Kakashi's eye welled up with tears at what he saw, it was a group photo of his parents, Jiraiya and Light and they were all smiling with Sakumo's arm around Nozomi. "This was taken just after your parents got together… Surprisingly Jiraiya introduced them." Sonea told him and Kakashi pulled of his hitai-ate and rubbed at his crying eyes.

"That's Light… He was a part of your circle wasn't he?" Kakashi asked as he pointed to the white haired teen next to Sakumo and Sonea nodded and cried more.

"He was the first Yang release to my seal… He found your dad on a battlefield between here and Kumo at the age of three and took him in and looked after him and even became his summoning by accident, the same day your parents met… He was also Storm's twin brother…" Sonea cried, placing her face against Kakashi's shoulder to cry and Kakashi let a few tears fall as well as he turned the page. It was his parents wedding day, he let the images burn into his sharingan as he had never seen many pictures after his mom died as it was to painful for his father and they were all burned. He turned the page again as Sonea had calmed down and looked back at the album, they were pictures of Sakumo and a pregnant Nozomi and Sonea smiled this time at the pictures she was forced into. The page turned again and Sonea's breath caught with shock as did Kakashi's, she had forgotten about these pictures that were given to her as she couldn't stay around. There were pictures of Sakumo, Nozomi and a new born little Kakashi with a tuft of silver hair sticking out from under the blanket, Sonea laughed a little before frowning at the next picture, it was her and Nozomi lying together with the blood transfusion happening and the doctors trying to save her. It had been taken through the little window through the door.

"What's happening here?" Kakashi asked as he pointed at the photo.

"I was saving your mom… She knew how risky her pregnancy was but still went through with it. This was right after she gave birth to you, she was loosing to much blood and so I stepped in for a direct transfusion which saved her life for those two years, I couldn't let you not have a mother for some of your life but now that I think about it, it was also selfish of me to save her but I think your dad would have broken then and done something stupid, she was my best friend after all." Sonea said as she stared at the photo with guilt.

"Thank you." Kakashi said in a whisper before turning the page and laughing, Sonea looked away with embarrassment. They were the pictures Sakumo took when Sonea held Kakashi for the first time and had fallen asleep with him as well as both of them lying on the couch as well as lots of other pictures with them when Kakashi was a baby with his parents and Sonea in a few of them as well as Light and one with Storm in it too. "Your eyes were so clear and blue back then, just like Naruto's." Kakashi commented. There was one special photo that Sonea ran her fingers over with a smile, it was Light and Storm with a smiling Kakashi being held between them. Kakashi turned the page with a large gap in the time lines as the first picture was Minato purposing to Kushina in the club and then their wedding and Minato becoming Hokage, holding up his first white robe with red flames at the bottom and his trade mark grin and lastly a picture of Sonea Minato and Kakashi who were standing with the new Hokage in his office. Sonea and Kakashi laughed a little before turning over to action pictures of Kakashi and Sonea in a taijutsu fight and the last picture was Sonea and Kakashi in their bloody ANBU uniforms after Kakashi's first mission, both holding their masks.

The next page was pictures of Itachi and Sonea with Sasuke in a few of them and the last one being Itachi and Sonea in their bloody ANBU uniforms after Itachi's mission, also holding their masks. Kakashi noticed how dull her eyes seemed to be since before the Kyuubi attack and after it and it made him a little sad. He turned over and smiled a little, they were pictures of a little Naruto with Raven as they laughed and played games and helped him with his homework and techniques and a picture of his entrance to the academy. They turned over to pictures of Kirigakure with Mei and Ao and the rebels who now had control over Kiri and pictures with Sonea, Anko and Ibiki for the chunin exams. Kakashi stayed quiet and turned over where pictures of her, Jiraiya and Naruto littered the pages during the chunin exams and their two year journey when Sonea met up with them as well as Tsunade and Shizune in a few of them. The next pages were pictures of Sonea with the rookie twelve and some of the missions she took with them when Konoha was still low after Otogakure and Sunagakure's invasion, pictures of her and Shikamaru playing shogi, with Lee in a taijutsu battle, the rookie girls and separating a brawl of the rookie boys while Sasuke and Naruto stared each other down… She had become close to most of them during their time as he flipped through pages of those pictures and stopping when he saw pictures of their trip with Yamato when they went to look for the jinchuuriki's while Naruto was off training with Jiraiya then pictures of the sand siblings and Shikamaru when she was ambassador with him before Naruto returned.

The last few pictures were depressing, as it was all pictures of funerals of her loved ones as well as his loved ones. Her parents, clan, sensei, Natsume, Mika, Chief of the dragons, Senju Kawarama, Itama, Mitsuki, Butsuma, Hashirama and Tobirama, Light, Kenjin, Nozomi, Sakumo, Obito, Rin, Minato, Kushina, Taka to name a few, so many names that were familiar but not as he flipped through the list of names with wide eyes, she had lost to much.

The album ended on a happy note, as there were pictures of the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan together at the peace gathering. Tobirama's team and Hashirama and Tobirama with a young Hiruzen. Hiruzen with his team, Jiraiya with his team, Three pictures of Kakashi's team with Minato and Kushina's genin team as well as his father's genin team with Light then a few pictures of his team; Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and himself, and a few times his team hung out with Sonea. Finally, a recent picture that was taken with the rookie eleven and Sai with the jonin sensei's and the last picture in the album being of his squad now; It was Kakashi, Sonea and Yamato standing at the back with Naruto in front of Sonea with Sakura and Sai on either side of him, Sonea had her arms wrapped around Naruto and hanging over him as they both grinned. He closed the book gently and they sat for a while in silence, the tears had stopped a while ago as it hurt too much.

"I can't even remember some of their faces properly anymore… It's sad isn't it?" Sonea asked with a saddened tone, Kakashi could see the empty eyes from the pain but then they swapped and she wiped away her tears and nose and placed the album away safely and turned back to him like nothing had happened. "You said you were going to see Naruto so you can wash your face and see him and I'll clean up and meet you at the hospital, alright?" Sonea asked with a smile. Kakashi sat dumbstruck for a while before he shook himself out of it.

"Yeah, I'll see you there." He said as he stood up with his hitai-ate and moved to the bathroom and then left for the hospital. Sonea threw out a lot of things as she cleaned her room quickly there was no point in keeping things if she couldn't take them with her if she died.

She stopped by the shinobi registration office to change her next of Kin to Naruto and Kakashi and left her Will there then she left for the hospital afterwards and watched as Asuma and Kurenai left Kakashi watching after them.

"Now I really want to know…" Kakashi said to himself.

"What do you want to know?" Sonea asked as she hopped in the window next to Kakashi.

"Well, Asuma said he had something to talk to me about and he kept stalling then when I finally asked him up front, Kurenai appeared and he said he would talk to me later. But now he's got me all intrigued." Kakashi said, looking up and scratching his masked cheek absent-minded.

"Well maybe it was something involving their relationship." Sonea said and Kakashi turned to look at her.

"Whose relationship?" Kakashi asked, genuinely confused. Sonea sighed and pulled him after her towards the restaurant district.

"I'll explain while we have lunch on our first official date." Sonea said smiling and hooked her arm around Kakashi's as they walked.

The next day, she decided to check up on Naruto and his training. She watched as all of the Narutos celebrated, cutting the leaf and began to disappear when she noticed him falling and instantly shimmered to catch him, just before Kakashi did. He helped her carry Naruto over to a tree to lean against while he rested.

"Pushing himself when he's just recovered…" Kakashi complained.

"Plus, the mass shadow clones are to make his training more efficient. There's no need to use it just to show off the results." Yamato also complained.

"Well, that's our Naruto." Kakashi said with fondness and Sonea smiled at the happily sleeping teen. Sonea sat on the other side of Naruto to wait for him to wake up when he began to stir.

"You awake?" Kakashi asked and Naruto seemed disappointed and annoyed that he passed out again. "Keep resting. Overuse of mass shadow clones will tire you out easily too. We'll start the next level of training after you've rested a bit more…. Next. The next step is to cut the waterfall." Kakashi explained.

"Place your hands on the waterfall, and slice it in half using your wind chakra. This exercise requires you to use nature manipulation on a large amount of chakra in an instant. If you can't, you'll never cut the waterfall." Yamato explained, sitting on the other side of Naruto.

"At the very least, clearing this stage means you'll be able to use wind chakra in real combat." Kakashi said to him.

"Kaka-sensei, if I can do this, I'll have mastered one chakra element right?" Naruto asked desperately and Kakashi nodded with his eye smile. Naruto got going and Yamato created a shelf for Naruto to stand on, a bench for Kakashi and he sat down to hold back the Kyuubi's chakra. Sonea jumped when Kakashi reached into her pouch and pulled out his book and waved it in front of her and she blushed.

"Next time I catch you breaking into my apartment and stealing my books will be the last time after I give you punishment." Kakashi said silkily into her ear and he moved to the bench and lounged across it and Sonea moved just off to the side to do some training of her own and ended up causing a small storm and she decided to rather read over Kakashi's shoulder than risk causing another storm.

"I think he is ready to see an example." Kakashi said, reading his book and snapping it shut and sitting up." Would you mind Sonea?" He asked sweetly and she couldn't resist.

"Fine, I'll show him how to cut the waterfall. Hey Naruto! Come down here, I'll show you an example of cutting the waterfall!" Sonea called to him, removing her dragon skin and weapons while walking to the waterfall where Naruto jumped down next to her as she jumped up. She stood at the waterfall and placed her hands against it and concentrated before releasing the massive amount of wind chakra that sliced the waterfall in half and even cut into the rock. She turned around a bit sheepish as the waterfall continued again. "Sorry, I guess that was a bit much." She said, hopping down next to Naruto. "You need to concentrate it for longer in your body and then release it, eventually it will become easier and quicker but right now you are training to do it so don't rush even though you don't have the time." Sonea explained to him.

"Don't I need more clones?" Naruto said. Kakashi looked up from his book.

"You won't be able to cut the waterfall unless you generate large amounts of wind-natured chakra. The more clones you make, the less chakra each one gets. Besides, the waterfall is only wide enough for ten of you. You know, nature manipulating normally takes years. Even cutting a leaf in half is supposed to take six months." Kakashi said, returning to his book and Sonea shook her head.

"You managed it in just a few hours. There's no need to rush. You're advancing much faster than we expected." Yamato explained to him.

"When I taught Sasuke the Chidori, a true genius, it took him several long days to get the lightning element down." Kakashi explained and Naruto became more determined to go faster and Kakashi gave in.

"I'll extend the waterfall, Yamato you extend his standing area, and I know you are wearing down…" Sonea said, as the water burst over the edge of the cliff and Yamato pushed himself to create the shaft.

They all began to camp out there for the next few days. Sakura left soldier pills for Naruto that Yamato ended up using and Sonea took over for Yamato a few times, keeping a constant flow of natural chakra to him by placing a hand on his back and giving him some advice as she could sense his chakra flow and how it needed to feel. But the Jyuubi's chakra was becoming harder to control and use so she only did it once a day for Yamato as the second tomoe appeared in her other eye. She also began to train during the night while the others slept to keep herself in peek condition to handle the Jyuubi and the complications it had been giving her. The chakra started to come easier to her as she kept pushing through the pain and even pushed up the level of medication to level eight. Kakashi voiced his worry but didn't try to stop her, as he knew that she knew what she was doing but kept an eye on her anyway and watched her sleep during the day across the bench with his lap as a pillow.

It was a huge shock the first time Naruto cut the waterfall and he and his clones began to celebrate and dance as they were dispelled.

"This training is something else. To think Naruto got here so quickly!" Yamato said, with surprise.

"No, it isn't all due to the training method. Sasuke's driving him too. Well done! It's time to start making a new technique." Kakashi said as Yamato relaxed and Naruto fell to his side. Both Kakashi and Sonea rushed up to him and Sonea began checking him over.

"Are you okay Naruto?" Kakashi asked with concern.

"Sta… rv… ing…" He whispered out and Sonea laughed and Kakashi eye smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

They reached Ichiraku's with Naruto being carried between Kakashi and Sonea and he kept rambling about what he wanted. After a fight about Ramen and Tsukemen, Kakashi, Sonea and Yamato ate while they fought and Naruto finally got what he wanted.

"Time to get back to training!" Naruto announced happily.

"Before we do that… Naruto, I've got something extremely cool to show you." Kakashi said in a secretive and smooth voice.

"Extremely cool?" Naruto asked.

"Now that we've had our fill, I've got to explain a few more concepts to you. Relax, I'm a very smooth talker. I'll phrase it in a way you'll understand." Kakashi said, narrowing his eye. The bill was handed to Kakashi and he decided to show how much of a smooth talker he really was.

"Yamato, can you get this?" Kakashi asked innocently.

"Excuse me? I thought veterans were suppose to treat their junior counter parts." Yamato said, just as slyly back.

"There are no 'juniors' and 'seniors' when it comes to people I respect. Although, among my so-called 'juniors', you're about the only one I respect at all… But you're right, I should pay." Kakashi said with a gleam to his eye and Sonea was hiding her laughter behind her cup of tea. Yamato was left to pay while Kakashi, Naruto and Sonea waited outside. Kakashi held up a victory sign with his fingers, Naruto laughed and Sonea bumped him with her hip with a smirk.

"Smooth talker indeed." Naruto said. And they all returned to the training grounds afterwards. Kakashi performed a rasengan and both Yamato and Sonea smirked at the disbelief on his face and Kakashi seemed to be smirking under his mask to.

"No fair! Rasengan's my ultimate technique but you can do it so easily?! I had to endure crazy difficult training with Ero-Sennin, you have no idea what I went through…" Naruto began complaining.

"Um, this is just the starting point of what I wanted to tell…" Kakashi began while he dispersed the jutsu.

"And you can do it with one hand! I always have to do it with clones… I don't believe this. Maybe I should give it another try…" Naruto continued to complain.

"We'll wait for him to calm down " Kakashi said with a sigh. Naruto then tried to do rasengan with one hand, which failed miserably.

"I didn't show you rasengan just to brag about it." Kakashi said.

"Huh, yeah right." Naruto said back.

"I told you before that rasengan is a technique that only uses shape manipulation, remember? Then I showed you a technique that uses both shape manipulation and nature manipulation… By which I mean Chidori." Kakashi demonstrated.

"You're just showing off again." Naruto complained and everyone sighed.

"Fine… Naruto, watch here." Sonea stepped forward and held her hands apart from each other. "My Storm release; eye of the Storm jutsu is both shape and nature manipulation, first is the shape." Sonea explained as a burning ball of chakra appeared between her hands. "Next, I add a base to it which I use water." The chakra changed into a ball of water, like rasengan. "However, lightning doesn't agree with this shape, so I change it so it becomes a little dispersed and all lightning that can jump to the molecules but I also compress it at the same time for power." She showed the water dispersing into chakra and lightning dancing between it and compressed it back together, giving it a look like Chidori. "Then lastly, I add the wind nature, which doesn't agree with the shape either and so I start the rotation of every single molecule as the wind and lightning mixes and turn the water into rotation again." Sonea showed how it began rotation with a hum of wind and lightning and let it disperse in reverse of what she just showed.

Kakashi then took the explanation from there, saying Rasengan is an incomplete technique as the Yondaime tried to mix his nature with Rasengan but failed because being able to combine both nature and shape manipulation is harder than it seems.

"It may even be impossible. This part can't be taught. It's something you have to figure out for yourself. Do… Do you know why I'm telling you all of this Naruto? Because you're the only shinobi in the world who can surpass the Yondaime. That's what I believe… Well, let's kill the small talk and continue training, shall we?" Kakashi asked with happy spirits as he moved off to give him some space. Yamato and Sonea followed after him.

"Well done Kakashi-san. You're really a smooth talker." Yamato said to Kakashi.

"No, I was telling the truth." Kakashi said honestly and Sonea knew he was right, Minato did say he tried to combine the two but he failed every time and Sonea even showed him her Storm release jutsu over and over again like she just did with Naruto.

He began with clones of two with Rasengan and trying to combine the two but it kept failing and the Kyuubi kept coming out, Yamato and Sonea had tackled him multiple times and she was now permanently staying in Jyuubi chakra mode as he trained. A sudden gust of wind caught her off guard and it gave her a shiver down her spine as she looked behind her to the open training field and saw a storm brewing… this was always a bad sign for Sonea.

"What's the matter?" Kakashi asked with concern, looking away from his book at her.

"I… I have a bad feeling… Something always happens when I get a shiver from the wind and I see a storm brewing in the distance." Sonea said, still scowling at the storm.

"You don't think Naruto might…" Kakashi began, looking at the working teen.

"No, if it was, I would have a worse feeling." Sonea said, looking back at him and hearing a screech before a few clones were sent flying from the explosion. Her eyes widened, it was one hell of a screech, as bad as when she uses the locket sometimes. "This is going to be one hell of a technique neither one of us will be able to handle." Sonea said suddenly and Kakashi looked at her a bit confused before turning back to his book in hand.

Rain began to pour as another Naruto went Kyuubi again and Yamato reacted faster that time. Kakashi jumped over to him to make sure he was okay and Naruto seemed a bit disheartened. They talked for a little while before Kakashi made a clone and looked both ways and Naruto's face seemed to lighten up and he went at it again with three clones and finally the results started to show through. The screech from it was amazing and it was a pointy white ball of chakra and Sonea decided to listen in on what they were talking about.

"No less from Konoha's number one most surprising ninja, huh Naruto? I got to say… I'm really starting to like you." Kakashi said to him and Naruto freaked out and took it the wrong way and Kakashi was completely misconstrued to what Naruto understood.

"Don't say weird shit like that, you freak. I finally got the technique and your creepy talk threw me off." Naruto accused him.

"I didn't mean it like that." Kakashi said innocently. And he began to walk towards him and Naruto ran away.

"What the heck are those two doing?" Yamato said as a ninja jumped down with a message.

"Sarutobi Asuma has been killed in battle, the funeral will be held tomorrow in the cemetery." He reported and the bad feeling finally made sense to Sonea. Yamato got up and they both made their way over to Kakashi and Naruto.

"Kakashi-senpai, we have to stop training and return to the village right now." Yamato shouted over to them.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked. He was studying both of their saddened faces with slight fear showing in his one eye and they stopped by them and Yamato kept his head down the whole time.

"Sarutobi Asuma-san… Has passed away." Yamato informed them. Kakashi turned away and looked out into the field while running a hand through his hair. Sonea instantly embraced Naruto in a hug and held on tight for a while.

"The funeral is being held tomorrow morning in the cemetery and your presence is requested there." Sonea finished as she felt the silent and tearless sobs from Naruto. "I'll walk you home." She said to Naruto gently and she held his hand as they walked away.

She left Naruto at his apartment later as the sun began to set, she needed to be strong for one more person. She didn't bother to knock but walked in as she could feel his chakra wavering a little. He sat at his desk with only the lamp on, with his head in his hands, the blinds drawn and a privacy jutsu already in place. She turned the lock on the door and he looked up, both of his eyes showing how previous pain had come back to haunt him with the new pain of loosing a close friend, he hadn't cried… yet. She gave him a sad smile and opened her arms up to him and he was in them in a second, letting all of his grief and sorrow out and Sonea began to tear up from the pain that leaked from him. She fisted her fingers into his navy blue jonin top as he held onto her so tight that it was hard to breath, but she didn't care, she had to stop him from breaking at that moment and survive another night of grief.

She watched the funeral proceedings from the wall, behind the flame statue she didn't feel like she belonged there, she didn't know him well enough to feel like she belonged at that funeral. And so, she watched the sun rise and sent a sad song onto the wind for the grief-stricken and offered her support of a song. She left for the training field as soon as it ended to allow herself to feel her own grief again and let it out… Akatsuki will pay!

"Kaka-sensei, look." She woke up to a voice and before she could think, she had thrown a rain of iron kunai shadow clones and had flipped off of her back and in a crouched position, the rippling sharingan burning bright and she wasn't even Jyuubi chakra mode. Within that second Kakashi had suishinned behind her and had his arms wrapped around her to hold her down.

"Calm down, it's only us." Kakashi said with a slight warning into her ear. Her eyes softened and closed as she took a deep breath and returned to normal. Naruto and Yamato were walking over and Naruto handed her original kunai back to her and she reabsorbed it.

"Sorry, I'm not good at being snuck up on… So, you guys here to train?" She asked as happily as she could and Naruto smiled and nodded with a grin. Yamato got set and Sonea sat with him. Naruto created three clones and began with his developing technique and Kakashi formed a rasengan, this did not look good.

"This is as far as I've gotten." Naruto said with strained concentration.

"Alright, we'll test it by smashing it into my rasengan. Get ready." Kakashi warned.

"Huh, but what's suppose to happen?" Naruto asked with slight confusion.

"If your technique is almost complete, then my rasengan should be completely wiped out… Now, let's go." Kakashi said as they began charging towards each other. Sonea tensed for the worst, ready to jump in. They had passed each other and Kakashi's hand was smoking and Sonea caught him as he fell to his knees and took his hand by the wrist gently. Kakashi turned to look at Naruto and his eye widened.

"Yondaime?!" Kakashi said. Sonea just smiled and returned to his burned hand. She gently slid his damaged sleeve up and peeled off his glove with a bit of a wince from him and placed her hands around his to heal some of the damage with a smile still on her face, she pulled out a bandage and began wrapping.

"Kaka-sensei, are you alright?" Naruto ran over with panic, as did Yamato.

"I'm okay, just a bit of chakra burn. Your technique is coming along nicely, just a little bit more and it should be completed so keep working on it." Kakashi said with a bit of strain behind his voice and eye smile. Sonea finished bandaging his hand and helped him up.

"I'm going to take him to the hospital to get this cleaned up properly, and you will not argue with me." Sonea ordered and dragged him after her to the hospital.

"I really don't need to go to the hospital." Kakashi complained. Sonea was staring down with a concentrated frown on her face.

"I know… I know what you're thinking." She said quietly but Kakashi heard her.

"And what am I thinking Sonea?" He asked with suspicious intrigue.

"Team Asuma wants revenge… They will go as a team to avenge him but won't be allowed to go because they need a four-man squad, you're going to go with them, aren't you?" She said with hardened suspicion as she stood in front of him in the middle of the path and had an angry and sad look to her face… She had been crying earlier. His eye softened and raised up his good hand to rub the red circles under her eyes with his thumb. She looked down but back up quickly again as she pulled his mask down and kissed him and pulled back, pulling his mask back up and looked down at his flak jacket.

"Just… come back alive." She said, feeling a bit better and dragged him back to his apartment to clean his hand properly.

She watched Naruto training the next day as she seemed to stare right past him, legs crossed on the bench and her head resting on her hand, her elbow on her leg when Sakura came into the clearing and told them where Kakashi had gone.

"Kaka-sensei and Team Ten went after Akatsuki? Naruto asked.

"Yeah, they just left." Sakura replied.

"I see. What did Tsunade-sama say?" Yamato asked.

"That we're best suited to be their back up. But she won't let us go unless Naruto finishes his new technique. If you can't do it within twenty-four hours, she'll send another back up instead." Sakura informed them. Naruto walked over to the food pills and stuffed a few down determinedly.

"Captain Yamato, let's keep training." Naruto said determinedly and continued with his technique.

"It kinda looks like a shuriken." Sonea blurted out and Naruto regarded her thoughtfully before slamming a fist into his palm.

"That's it!" He said suddenly and ran out into the field and started to work harder. Sonea just blinked with wide eyes.

"What did I say?" She said bewilderedly. She continued to watch, trying to figure out what he got from her little comment as the day continued to pass by. She had been staring absent-minded again when she felt the mass of chakra, shaped like a shuriken, her eyes widened and she grabbed Yamato and jumped high to watch a massive crater appear below them.

"Thanks, Sonea-san." Yamato said with a bit of shock as they landed onto a tree. After the dust cleared a little, they jumped down to check on Naruto. Yamato began to explain how the elements are connected. Lightning is strong against earth but weak against wind. Wind is weak against fire, fire against water and water against earth. But this just seemed to lighten Naruto up as a strong wind could save a dying fire, like Sasuke. Yamato spent the last bit of his time testing Naruto's new technique and they were off when Sonea's twitching became excessive, she knew something was bothering her about the entire situation.

"Sonea… I can see you're bothered by something so… go on ahead, we'll catch up soon, okay?" Naruto said as they travelled up front. She didn't hear Yamato shouting after her as she transformed into her wolf form and took off and everything went by in a blur. She saw red when she saw Kakashi lying on the ground and being attacked by the man above him with metal wire things and lunged with blood lust as she entered Jyuubi chakra mode right away and tackled the man off of Kakashi and cut the wires invading his body. She had never felt so angry in her life as she watched the man, Kakuzu get up and face her, with Kakashi still lying behind her, her rippling sharingan blazing with hate. But Kakuzu fell to his knees with shock and pain. Choji and Ino came running up to them to make sure Kakashi was alright but he pulled out the cables quickly as two black figures came rushing towards them and Sonea became defensive again with a growl, low in her throat… Akatsuki would pay.

Choji jumped in front with his expansion jutsu and tried to squash them but ended up having to dodge as one of them entered Kakuzu's body. The mask broke and Kakuzu came alive once more and Sonea caught onto his techniques.

"He came back to life." Ino said behind her.

"He absorbed the lightning monsters heart." Kakashi said, as the other black creature was absorbed into his body and his stitches broke and revealed his body, made of the black wires.

"Even his main body is a monster." Kakashi commented.

"You have killed two of my hearts… It's been ages since anyone has done that… " Kakuzu said as wires snaked up from the ground and grabbed all of them. "Hatake Kakashi, I intended to replace the hearts I lost with yours but I changed my mind. I can stock up on hearts any time. Now die!" Kakuzu said as the two masks appeared again, readying a fire and wind combination and Sonea powered up a storm release attack to counter when she sensed Naruto and Yamato preparing a combo: Water typhoon vortex jutsu and within the steam, Sonea cut the wires off of their bodies while Kakuzu was distracted. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief.

"I've never seen you so beat up Senpai, thank goodness Sonea decided to take off on her own. Our enemy must be extremely powerful." Yamato expressed his view. Kakashi summoned Pakkun and sent Sai and Sakura after Shikamaru who had lure Hidan away. Naruto stepped up to the challenge of fighting Kakuzu. He created two clones while Kakashi briefed them on their abilities. He then used the clones to gain some experience then created three more clones as he prepared Wind release; Rasen-shuriken. The clones attacked him head on as a distraction for him to sneak up behind but at the last second, the technique failed. Kakuzu grabbed him and Sonea raced forward with Kakashi and Yamato backing them up with wood release, Sonea cut the wires with her blades, covered in lightning release and Kakashi pulled him away and she moved back a bit while Yamato attacked but missed.

"Let me try one more time. I'll finish him with my new technique." Naruto asked determinedly and everyone voiced their opinions.

"That's true. It's five against one. There is no need to cross a dangerous bridge like that."

"Kaka-sensei… Do you remember what you told me when I was training? 'The only person who can surpass the Yondaime is you. That's what I believe.' I know that teamwork is important. I also know that this is a dangerous bridge to cross. Even so, I… I want to cross that bridge alone. If I can't make it to the other side, I'll never be able to grow up. So please… Don't burn that bridge just yet." Naruto pleaded solemnly and Kakashi and Yamato allowed it. He went for rasen-shuriken once again but a clone was posing as the original and Kakuzu didn't see the original attack from behind and it was a success, Sonea blocked Kakashi, Yamato, Ino and Choji from the blast and watched as the technique ripped Kakuzu apart at the molecular level.


	11. Chapter 11

"Excellent job everyone. The threat has passed for the time being but Akatsuki is still out there. So don't be complacent… Naruto, your injury…" Tsunade asked concerned where everyone gathered at the end of the mission at sunset.

"It's like a badge of honour." Naruto said happily.

"He's been given emergency first aid." Sakura said, trying to make her voice sound light.

"Go get examined at Konoha Hospital, just to be on the safe side." Tsunade ordered and Sakura planned to have it carried out.

"Don't worry Master, I'll make sure he gets to the hospital. Okay, Naruto." Sakura said as she held him in a headlock and bashed him.

"Now then, both of your teams have earned a break. Go and rest up. Dismissed." Tsunade ordered and everyone but Sonea left as she wanted to discuss what she saw.

"Did you notice?" Tsunade asked Shizune and her, she nodded sadly.

"I did, Naruto-kun's injury, correct?" Shizune said.

"I wonder what did that…" Tsunade said and Sonea had a good idea but waited for her turn to talk. "What's going on with that Akatsuki corpse Kakashi's group brought back?" Tsunade asked.

"Right. We're already conducting an autopsy on it but…" Shizune said with slight concern

"Then tell the person in charge of it to make investigating that effect their top priority." Tsunade ordered and Shizune rushed out to complete the order. "Now, what is it you want to speak with me about Sonea?" She asked her. Sonea took on an emotionless face, as her feelings were still very confused.

"Naruto must not use Wind release; Rasen-shuriken anymore." She warned and Tsunade got a slight angry scowl.

"What?!" She demanded and Sonea carried on explaining

"My rippling sharingan was able to watch the full extent of damage to both Naruto and Kakuzu. It attacked Kakuzu on a cellular level, severing every chakra passage in the cells more than ten times each, meaning it attacked quadrillions of times… You and I both know that a jutsu of such an amazing level carries spectacular risks, explaining Naruto's unusual injury to his right arm and not even the normal sharingan could follow it as I talked with Kakashi on the way back. Call me when the autopsy is in." Sonea said, leaving the office and a very stunned Tsunade behind.

She spent the rest of the evening on Minato's head and though about what she experienced earlier. Rage can be a dangerous thing when personal feelings are involved and it didn't help that her blood bond with Kakashi made it worse. She felt untouchable and the Jyuubi's power flowed freely and this scared her as she could feel herself loosing the full control she had over such a destructive power. Her thought were interrupted when she was notified that the autopsy was complete and made her way to the hospital where she met up with Kakashi and Yamato who were also summoned.

"The autopsy isn't done yet, but we learned something important about Naruto's new technique from Sonea and studying the corpse… What actually injured him wasn't related to any manner of blunt physical trauma." Tsunade said, watching the corpse of Kakuzu, almost expecting it to jump up alive again.

"Meaning what?" Kakashi asked, with his hands in his pockets.

"Every cell in his body has had its chakra vessel severed… Something like this is completely unprecedented… Who knew it would be so powerful… The body actually looks like it's been poisoned and not physically struck. The attacks were so miniscule they damaged him on the cellular level… I assume he changed the wind-natured chakra into countless microscopic blades through shape manipulation, which then sliced each individual cell." Tsunade concluded.

"That is what it looked like through my rippling sharingan." Sonea confirmed.

" Poison, huh? So it's more appropriate to talk about the attacks precision than the number of times it hit." Kakashi said.

"So what about its user, Naruto?" Yamato asked.

"That's the real issue… Kakashi. Don't let Naruto use his technique Wind release; Rasen-shuriken, ever again… Naruto's right arm suffered the same type of damage. Though not as badly as the corpse of coarse. If he keeps using his new technique, Naruto will loose the ability to manipulate chakra… Damage to the chakra circularity system cannot be repaired by any form of medical ninjutsu, including mine. Make sure Naruto understands that." Tsunade asked them all and they all nodded their understanding and left the autopsy room. Tsunade and Yamato moved off and Sonea tried the same but Kakashi caught her wrist, Kakashi wouldn't admit it but he could see the fear in her eyes and the way her mood drastically changed after saving him. He slid his hand into hers and entwined their fingers together as they began to walk and Kakashi put his other hand into his pocket.

"What's bothering you my love?" Kakashi asked sweetly and carefully as they walked the streets of Konoha. Sonea continued to stare at the ground with a concentrated scowl on her face and brows slightly furrowed, her hand tightened on Kakashi's.

"I'm loosing it… When I saw you on the battlefield earlier, I can't recall actually tackling Kakuzu off of you or even cutting the wires, the Jyuubi was relishing in my rage and not just at Kakuzu but everything I've ever been angry for bubbled up as the power did and my control began to slip… I don't know how Naruto can handle such a feeling but I know I can't…" The last bit came out as a whisper as Sonea forced back her tears and they had stopped in the middle of the road with Sonea holding his hand as tight as she could and her head was down so her hair could hide her eyes and expression in her hair. "I can't handle seeing my loved ones hurt, not when there is something I can do about it before my time I…" Sonea began to cry but Kakashi had wrapped his arms around her and suishinned back to his apartment already as the first tear fell, they both hate it when other people can see how weak they are.

"Let it out love, there is no one here but me." He said, running his hand through her hair and kissing her forehead and she did just that for the night with just Kakashi there to help her this time like she always had for him.

Her eyes fluttered open painfully as the first rays of light came through the blinds. Her face and eyes were sore and her chest hurt but right then, everything felt complete and she hummed in content as a hand kept running through her hair and the steady beating and rise and fall of her pillow beneath her head just made it feel like she never wanted to leave. This is the first time she didn't panic that there was someone around as she already knew it was her Kakashi, taking care of her like she use to do for him. Her one hand was up by his collar bone with something there as well, she looked up and moved her hand to see the pentagram necklace with two wolves around it and smiled as she nuzzled his muscular chest with a smile and he let out a small laugh as he placed his other hand over hers on his neck Things started to get a bit heated from the unintentional touches, he pushed her hair behind her ear and let his finger tips travel down her neck and down her spine as she moved her hand from his neck, over his muscular chest and stomach. Kakashi saw her eyes flash dangerously with lust and within a split second he was hovering over her, between her legs that were hooked around his waist and engaged in a heated kiss, he somehow removed his top when he moved and her hands had access to the perfect pale skin with little scars everywhere. She placed pressure into her fingertips as she ran them over the large diagonal scar left by Zabuza and he moaned into her mouth and pressed closer to her which in turn made her moan, never breaking the kiss. Unfortunately, that's as far as they got as Sonea sensed the presence first and placed a genjutsu over Kakashi's face and he was sitting up with her in his lap and hiding her flushed face into his chest, away from the stunned ANBU kneeling in the room.

"What is it Tenzo?" Kakashi growled out dangerously as he continued to run his hand through her hair.

"Um… Right, Tsunade-sama has requested both of your presences in her office by noon." Yamato choked out from behind his cat mask, obviously feeling very uncomfortable at that moment. At a growl from Kakashi, Yamato suishinned out and Sonea snuggled into his chest as her arms came up around his neck. Kakashi began to rub circles on her lower back with his other hand.

"Are you okay?" He asked her as he nuzzled her cheek She nodded into his cheek shyly, her face still extremely flushed and he laughed. "Why does fate hate us… Why don't you go have a shower and relax a little and I'll make some breakfast… Don't worry, not anything to complicated, you know I can't cook." He said as he stood up with her in bridal style and set her feet on the floor but she didn't let go as she was still embarrassed. He laughed as he unwrapped her arms and pulled her back, still holding her wrists, and smiled at her and kissed her before they both moved off.

"I'm fate's bitch remember." Sonea shouted to him and he laughed harder.

They were both walking around when they heard familiar voices coming from Ichiraku's and made a slight detour to where Naruto was being his loud boisterous self.

"Hey." Kakashi said, sticking his head inside as did Sonea and watched in amusement.

"Huh my butt! And here Sakura-chan was going to feed me." Naruto complained to Sai. Kakashi continued to walk in while Sonea stood by the curtain and watched Team Kakashi antics play out.

"You're suppose to help a friend when they're in trouble. That's what a true friend is, it said that in a book." Sai explained.

"Now look here. Read the situation before you read that damn book. Read the situation!" Naruto explained not so calmly.

"How can I read something I can't see?" Sai asked, he did have a slight point.

"Aaahhh, you're such a pain in the ass!" Naruto yelled out.

"Looks like you have a problem." Kakashi said to them.

"Naruto can't use his right hand so he was getting a bit worked up over who would feed him." Sakura explained. Kakashi took the bowl of ramen and chop sticks and moved in between Sakura and Naruto to try to feed him and Sonea moved out of the shop to get some air from laughing so hard.

"Come to think of it, it's unusual for us to finish a big mission and you not to be bedridden in the hospital isn't it, Kaka-sensei?" Sakura asked and Sonea laughed harder, battling to breath from outside. Kakashi hung his head.

"That's how you think of me? Right now I'm really… shocked. Well, I didn't have to use mangekyo sharingan this time. There's no doubt that I would have had to use it again if you hadn't shown up when you did. I would have ended up in bed just like you thought." Kakashi let out a little sheepish laugh before the conversation turned towards Naruto's new technique but they had nothing to worry about, Naruto already knew he couldn't use it and so Kakashi got tricked into paying for their lunch. Konohamaru arrived outside with a shadow clone and created a new perverted technique when his female teammate, Moegi, hit him hard for it and Jiraiya came around the corner. Jiraiya and Kakashi shared a look and Kakashi's looked a bit strained before he carried on walking towards the Hokage's office and Sonea ran after him.

"Was that a bit of jealousy I saw there?" Sonea mocked but Kakashi just continued to look forward with his hands clenched in fists in his pockets. "Come on, you can't have all of the blondes in the village wrapped around your fingers all the time…" Sonea joked and Kakashi sighed.

"I guess you're right. I need to remember that he is Jiraiya's godson and I only just started taking interest in his training, it will take some time before he trusts me completely again but I'll wait." He said with a lighter mood.

Sonea stood on the roof of the Hokage's tower as Kakashi had been called in first for a separate mission. Jiraiya was taking Naruto for some training again and she was busy planning having Seth follow him this time. She sensed Kakashi's presence behind her and he came over to her and placed his hands on her hips.

"I've got a mission with team Kurenai to one of Orochimaru's hideouts, it shouldn't take more than a few days and I promise to be careful after the last time you scolded me for going up against him." Kakashi said softly to her. She nodded and kissed him through the mask and smiled at him.

"Be careful." She said. Kakashi let her go and hopped up on the railing before turning back to her with an eye smile.

"Always am." He said and jumped away to prepare. Tsunade came up to stand next to her and looked out over the village with her.

"I'll be sending you on a mission with five circle members of your choice. It's an S-rank mission and infiltration into Amegakure to confirm their position and with your abilities to shift, you are the best next to Jiraiya… I suppose you are keeping an eye on them right now?" Tsunade said with a smirk and Sonea nodded.

"Yeah, I sent Seth to watch them this time… When do you want me to leave?" Sonea asked.

"As soon as possible… There have been rumours of Akatsuki being there but nothing has been confirmed which is why I'm sending you." Tsunade concluded and Sonea left to find her circle and leave for the mission as soon as possible.

That afternoon she stood at the gates in full ANBU gear without her mask with Storm, Star, Fall, Sage and Fire ready to go. Once everything was confirmed and they were out of sight, they shifted to their wolf forms and headed for Amegakure. The trip and infiltration into the country was a success but infiltration into the village was near impossible as they ended up engaging in battle soon after they got there.

They managed to flee but with severe injuries to everyone on the team as they made their way painfully back to Konoha a day later. Sonea reported to Tsunade as she was least beat up and hurt.

"What happened to you, where is your team?" Tsunade asked, a bit panicked as she stood up to help her to the couch.

"We got caught entering Amegakure and were forced into battle. My team are heading towards the hospital right now and I came to report." Sonea said with winces on every third word as Tsunade began checking her. "Amegakure is extremely locked down from the outside world and it appears that there has been a civil war in the past due to the confusion of two leaders; Hanzo and someone who calls themselves God. There were no signs of Akatsuki but with that amount of devotion and secrecy, I wouldn't be surprised if they are the ones running that country, it's in between four of the five great nations, perfect place if you ask me… That is all I have to report Tsunade-sama." Sonea finished, out of breath from pain and talking.

"Alright, just rest for now and I'll have you transferred to the hospital soon and I'll take care of you personally." Tsunade said as Shizune began rushing around to have everything done quickly.

"Any word from Kakashi?" Sonea asked, hopeful. Tsunade smiled.

"They've only been gone for twelve hours so no, nothing yet but don't worry, the brat can take care of himself." Tsunade assured her and she fell asleep soon afterwards.

XXXXXXXXXX

The heart monitor was beeping like crazy as Sonea sat up in a cold sweat and breathed heavily from her dream and pain. Tsunade burst through the doors within seconds, checking her over quickly before laying her back down gently.

"What happened?" Tsunade asked her as she still had widened eyes.

"I don't know, it almost feels like…. No, it can't be the… Sanbi?" Sonea said confused, it was calling for her again for some reason.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked with slight confusion

"The bijuu call out when they are in distress and I tend to hear them but this one felt more like a nightmare but real at the same time. I'm just very confused." Sonea said as she rubbed at her bandaged head tiredly and closed her eyes.

"What happened in the dream? Maybe I can send out a team to search the place if it wasn't a normal dream." Tsunade suggested, they had to get the Sanbi before Akatsuki or anyone else found it.

"It was a huge open lake and misty as it's the Sanbi's technique and a kid standing at the shore that looked so much like Yagura, the previous jinchuuriki for it that it was uncanny but he somehow had this ability to manipulate it and the Sanbi called out… Um, the lake, it was surrounded by forest, like the trees here in Konoha so it could be close and had a rocky shore to it. I'm sorry, that's all I can remember." Sonea said, slightly panicked and edgy. Tsunade injected something into her drip and turned it up.

"Rest, we'll talk about this later." Tsunade said as Sonea drifted to sleep again.

Sonea was watching the village bustle by as she stared out of her hospital room window with her chin in her hands. Children were playing ninja games and vendors were shouting out their prices and families walked down the streets and in the parks when a brown blur caught her attention, she concentrated and noticed the blue jacket with the heno-heno-moheji on it and saw it was Pakkun. She was out of the hospital like a flash and caught up to the pug that slowed down when he noticed Sonea's condition.

"Long time no see Pakkun." Sonea greeted the pug with a smile that he returned.

"Yes, good to see you to, Kakashi is fine by the way." He said back to her with a doggy grin and Sonea giggled and picked him up to walk into Tsunade's office. Tsunade looked up as did Shizune when they saw Sonea and Pakkun.

"Special delivery." Sonea said and set Pakkun down while she moved to the couch after a bit of strain to catch up to Pakkun. He explained the whole story and handed her a pink crystal.

"New enemies?" Tsunade asked the pug, studying the crystallized bug.

"Looks like it. They appear to be a threat. A group of people were completely annihilated." Pakkun informed her.

"So that's why you are showing me this." Tsunade said, twirled the crystal between her fingers.

"Something's inside the crystal." Shizune pointed out.

"It's one of Shino's kikaichuu that was killed by the enemy's jutsu. Kakashi requests a top priority analysis." Pakkun relayed.

"Shizune, take this to the analysis team. It's urgent!" Tsunade ordered and Shizune rushed out with the crystal. Tsunade turned to Sonea and began looking over her injuries.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Still a bit sore but if you need me I'll be ready to go at your request." Sonea said determinedly.

"Alright then, I need you to go and get prepared and find Yamato, I'll be sending out Team Kakashi to back him up." Tsunade ordered and Sonea got up and went to prepare. She decided to put on her long sleeved top that still went around her neck and stopped at her ribs and her tight ANBU pants with her knee high shinobi sandals with a heel and last but not least her dragon skin half skirt and went to find Yamato. She got pay back from he burst in Kakashi's room as she caught him flirting with a girl until she looked closer and began dragging him off to Tsunade.

"You know that that was actually a guy right?" Sonea smirked when she saw realisation dawn on Yamato's face and him run for the nearest trashcan to throw up in.

**A/N: Yeah, a bit of humour thrown in at the end. I'm sorry i haven't updated in a while, it seems to keep slipping my mind. Don't worry, i will not abandon this story to my loyal viewers out there but i would be nice to hear from you about how you're enjoying the story or not enjoying it with constructive criticism, flame me and i'll ignore it, i really don't care. R&R please? Then i know at least someone is reading this out there. **


	12. Chapter 12

"You called for me?" Yamato asked as they entered the office and once again Sonea picked up Pakkun and scratched him on the ear while they talked.

"Yamato, I need you to back up Kakashi." Tsunade said seriously.

"Kakashi-senpai? I thought it was just a recon mission… Did something happen?" Yamato asked, slightly worried.

"They ran into some enemies. They use a jutsu we've never seen before. I can't say anything with certainty yet; right now I'm having the sample that Kakashi sent analysed. " Tsunade informed him.

"Who should I take with me?" Yamato asked.

"Sai and Sonea can search from the sky. Also Sakura in case someone gets injured. Right now, she is running an errand for me. She'll be back at dawn, as soon as she returns, you can depart." Tsunade explained.

"Understood. But if Orochimaru is involved, Naruto-kun will surely want to go." Yamato said and Tsunade became defensive.

"Naruto can't find out about this under any circumstances." Tsunade said and Sonea scratched her cheek with a pout.

"I don't think it will go as you want but I'll keep quiet, good luck to the rest of the team." Sonea said, setting Pakkun back down and leaving to recover until they leave for the mission.

The next morning Sai arrived a little sheepishly and said that he let it slip that Naruto found out about the mission.

"So in the end, Naruto found out about it anyway?" Sakura said with a hand on her hip.

"I'm sorry." Sai bowed respectfully.

"It can't be helped. I kinda figured it would be impossible anyway." Sakura said to him and how Tsunade had allowed him to go too and how late Naruto was.

"Let's go and look for him." Sonea suggested and they all followed after her to the training grounds and saw Naruto with Gamatatsu and Gamakichi, practising a new combination jutsu. Sakura took off ahead to scold him and drag him back with her and they set out for the mission. The area became rocky and slightly familiar to Sonea as they travelled for the rendezvous point with Kakashi's team. There was no trace of them so Sai and Sonea set out together to the sky to try to find them, it also helps that Sonea's eyes were sensitive and she was very good at sensory duties and led Sai in the right direction in case she missed something.

"I can't find any clue as to where the recon team went." Sai said to Sonea and she had to agree before Sai took off towards the river and saw Camilla's flowing down stream. Sonea looked upstream but a mist started to cover the area and she started to freak a little.

"Sai, let's head back." Sonea said before the mist could engulf them completely. And returned to have to find Naruto quickly. One of Shino's kikaichuu found them and Naruto said he was talking to someone as the mist cleared once again and they followed the bug. Sonea had a bad feeling about this.

They came up to a huge crystal dome and no sensory jutsu could see or sense through it, it was solid and real.

"What the hell is this?" Naruto asked as Sonea began tapping on it.

"Crystal… There's no doubt that this is the enemies jutsu. It looks pretty large too. Sai." Yamato asked him but Sonea put a hand on Sai's shoulder to stop him.

"There is no point. I can already see it's a solid dome, even underground is covered, we have to break through it some how… Naruto, do you want to try?" Sonea asked him with a smile and he agreed.

"Don't Naruto." Sakura asked him.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, I won't use that jutsu. Let me try a new jutsu I've been working on." Naruto said, summoning Gamatatsu and Gamakichi, even though they hadn't perfected it they were going to try the combination and if that failed, Sonea would try next. The first time they tried, it failed but the second time worked perfectly. The crystal dome shattered and fell down and they caught up to Kakashi and his team quickly against the crystal user.

"Is everyone alright?" Naruto asked. "It's a collaborative ninjutsu I've been working on with Ero-Sennin. Now, time to let loose, got that? There's no more running away." Naruto said to the crystal user.

"Looks like a noisy guy showed up." She said with malice.

"Hinata. You bitch, what did you do to her? What will we do Kaka-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Hinata's been taken hostage so don't act too reckless. The crystal is so fragile that even the slightest bump will cause it to shatter with Hinata still inside." Kakashi explained. Naruto used the collaboration once again but she just turned it into crystal and attacked, Sonea took it head on with her storm release in her iron blades on her arms, similar to what the crystal user used and plunged it right into the dragon of crystal, breaking it into shards, surprisingly.

"Huh, seems there's a weakness to your crystal release after all." Sonea said cockily with a smirk and one hand on her hip as the crystal fell around her. The crystal user jumped back to Hinata and held her blade against it with a stressed smirk.

"So, you gave up on your abilities that quickly huh? Come on, your crystal blades against my storm release blades, I promise I'll fight fair." Sonea teased, waving two fingers for her to attack and she began charging at her.

"Fine, but don't come crying when I turn your pretty face into crystallized dust!" She shouted as she attacked but Sonea easily blocked as the enemy was feeling a bit angry. She continued to advance and swipe angrily at her and Sonea managed to catch Kakashi's eye in the bushes and show him that she was distracting her so they could rescue Hinata. Gamatatsu's tongue wrapped around Hinata and pulled her away while Sonea kept her restrained, crystal began advancing to her blades and close to her sleeves and skin and she broke the blades off and retreated with everyone else as the last to rejoin the group, Kakashi rushed over to her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, slightly panicked and in a low voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine but I think we may have an edge against the crystal user but let's take care of Hinata first… Naruto, summon your toads back so we can figure this out." Sonea said, walking past Kakashi towards the group and Naruto did just that.

"It's safe now Gamatatsu, you can let Hinata out." Naruto said to the yellow toad.

"Gently, let her out gently Gamatatsu." Gamakichi warned. He began to lower her down in the crystal casing and Sonea spotted the fly, with panic, she transformed and caught it gently with her tails just in time and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Sonea finished the job. Unfortunately cracks started to appear anyway but they stopped. Pakkun arrived back and started to give a report about the crystal analysis. The kikaichuu's body and fluids inside of it were crystallised.

"So it really is true that the jutsu can crystallise anything." Kakashi observed.

"Sai's jutsus were also crystallised. That jutsu is quite bothersome." Yamato said and Sonea began thinking it through.

"No…" She said suddenly, disregarding what Yamato just said. "When I took that dragon and her head on, I was using my storm release, lightning and wind jutsu, covering my blades but as soon as her blade touched mine, it began to crystallise so we have a slight edge there, as well as Naruto's combination can break through it." Sonea explained and Kakashi and Yamato seemed thoughtful at the point she just made. The crystal around Hinata broke but she was unaffected apart from being a bit stiff and sore. She explained how she released chakra from her chakra points before the technique took hold, confirming that the crystal can't affect chakra. Sai and Sakura stayed behind with Hinata to track the enemy again using bats that the enemy used it back to its master.

Sonea stumbled but Naruto grabbed her and steadied her as the group stopped and Kakashi came back to check on her. Her rippling sharingan was spinning wildly with her wide eyes and her mouth hanging open slightly as she stared into space.

"Sonea?" Kakashi said, getting on his haunches in front of the sitting girl. He even waved his hand in front of her eyes and no response.

"Senpai, what's happened to her?" Yamato asked.

"I've seen this before, I think she might be having a vision but she usually doesn't get them during the day." Kakashi explained as she came back to herself and looked to where they were travelling to, it was covered in mist and the smell of a lake attacked their senses.

"You're not going to believe this… But there is a bijuu up ahead." Sonea said with laughable shock.

"Did I just hear right, did she just say there is a bijuu up ahead?" Kiba came up with Akamaru and slight suspicion.

"It explains why the enemy is around… They have been tampering with it and it's really unhappy right now." Sonea said with a shiver that affected her voice.

"Is it in that mist up ahead?" Kakashi asked her and she nodded, he sighed, this changed everything. " Alright, we need to proceed with extreme caution from here, this is probably what the enemy is after so everyone be on your guard. Let's go." Kakashi said, taking the lead again and the group began to move again, a bit tense. They came up to a smoke screen just out of the mist, like the enemy was expecting them but they had to get around it to get to the lake.

"Naruto, Sonea. You go together to the lake. The lake is top priority. While we are creating a diversion, go to the lake but don't engage anyone." Kakashi ordered and they took off together to the lake.

"So, do those visions hurt?" Naruto asked as they travelled around the smoke screen.

"No, they just take me off guard. You take the lake and I'll take the sky to see what is going on and to try to calm the bijuu, even though I might actually do the exact opposite." Sonea said.

"Why do they hate you so much?" Naruto asked curiously.

"They blame me for leaving them unprotected and the hard life they have had to endure. Let's split up here, remember, don't engage anyone." Sonea said as Naruto leapt for the lake and Sonea took off upwards. Something faltered and the Sanbi roared with pure anger at being used again, up ahead, she could see five crystals surrounding the Sanbi and the crystal user from earlier as well as Kabuto, the kid from her dream and one large guy. She chanted Kakashi's orders in her head as she sat on one of the large crystals and hid her presence and herself from the Sanbi's eye and watched as the crystal user, name Guren as she heard from Kabuto, fight against the Sanbi.

Her first attack broke under the weight of the bijuu and crystal shurikens shattered against its hard shell. It charged but the large man was strong enough to hold it stable for a few seconds. Guren then covered the bijuu within crystal like she did to Hinata and Sonea was quite impressed. Sonea noticed Naruto and his summons coming in a little close and jumped down.

"Stop, the enemy is near and that thing there is the Sanbi and it's seriously pissed right now so I suggest you move away." Sonea said to a shocked Naruto and his toads.

"Did… Did she just… say the… Sa… Sanbi?" Gamakichi asked with slight fear as he eyed the crystallized turtle in front of them. It's eye turned towards them and it spotted Sonea right away and it's chakra intensified with more rage as it began to break out of the crystal structure.

"That woman… Why is she fighting the Sanbi?" Naruto said and he noticed the kid on the boat. "Why are you here? Don't tell me… His home…is with those guys?!" Naruto said, slightly horrified.

"Naruto, we need to move back right now… The enemy wants the Sanbi for themselves and they are using that kid to get it… Don't ask questions right now, just move!" Sonea ordered when he was going to talk back. She turned back to the kid and saw his chakra flare and the Sanbi froze. He didn't last long as the crystal pillars broke and his chakra faltered, the Sanbi created a massive shockwave that swallowed them into the water.

Sonea grabbed Naruto in the water and held onto him tight as she pushed chakra into her iron wings to escape the swirling water and ended up throwing both of them onto land and Naruto landed ass first.

"Sorry." Sonea choked out for air as Naruto rubbed his stinging ass.

"Damn it. We went through a lot of crap there. Where did you bring us Sonea?" Naruto asked her and she sat up and looked around then shrugged.

"Well, land I guess." She said with a sheepish grin and Naruto smiled back at her as the looked around.

"That's right, that kid… I wonder why he was with Orochimaru's subordinates? Could it be that this is my fault? Damn this annoying mist." Naruto said as he stood up and helped Sonea up as they walked towards the lake again to see what was going on.

"Orochimaru probably found him so I don't think this is your fault… How would it be your fault anyway?" Sonea asked.

"I met him one day with Ero-Sennin and he asked me where his home was. I replied that home is where there are people thinking of you and he must have thought that he was safe with Orochimaru's subordinates but he is just being used!" Naruto spat out in anger. They carried on walking but Naruto kept quiet after that and he began shouting, Sonea watched on as she noticed the mist, he was stuck in a genjutsu and began forming a rasengan, luckily Kakashi caught it before it hit Kiba. They decided that the mist was the cause as Shino's bugs began to act weirdly too.

"Naruto, Sonea, what happened at the lake?" Kakashi asked and Naruto seemed a bit dumbfounded.

"The enemy were attacking the Sanbi." Sonea explained quickly and easily.

" The Sanbi? You're saying a bijuu appeared here?" Sakura asked as she missed the earlier realisation.

"Well, now it has been confirmed that the enemy is after it but this is far from what we expected. Either way, our current priority is escaping the mist. Then we'll sort out our information and plan our next move." Kakashi decided.

"I can lead us out of this mist. But first… Sai, take Hinata up into the air and study the area around the lake, I need to confirm the Sanbi's actions." Sonea asked and Sai and Hinata took off. "I'm sorry about partially leading this team but now that the Sanbi has become involved, I will be the final rule on what happens, is that okay… Kakashi… Yamato." Sonea asked them sternly. The rest of the group but Naruto and Sakura seemed confused.

"Understood, however, concerning the team, I will be last rule… Deal?" Kakashi asked just as sternly back and Sonea agreed. Hinata and Sai returned soon afterwards and Sonea stepped back.

"How'd it go?" Kakashi asked them.

"Yes, it's as we thought, it's not just an ordinary mist. There is a violent chakra embedded in it, and the same chakra is also covering the entire lake." Hinata explained.

"Concerning with what happened with Naruto, the mist can make people hallucinate. It's like a barrier." Kakashi explained and Sonea confirmed it with a nod.

"This is bad! That guy's still inside! Hey, Sakura-chan, you remember right and Sonea, you saw him too… Anyway, he is still in the mist covering the lake! Please Kaka-sensei, he's not a ninja, let me go and check to see if he's safe." Naruto begged.

"Sorry Naruto, but I can't give you permission for that. You were just under the Sanbi's illusion and almost attacked your friend. I won't let you be a one man army." Kakashi explained coolly but with finality.

"But still, what are we going to do now that the situation has changed?" Kiba asked. "Setting this aside, we've strayed pretty far from our search for Orochimaru's hideout." He explained.

"Well, with matters getting out of hand, it's not up to us to decide. Pakkun is already on his way to Konoha. Until Tsunade-sama's orders reach us, we're staying on stand by. We'll observe the movements of the Sanbi and the others from outside of the mist. Got it?" Kakashi asked everyone but directed more at Sonea who agreed to what was going to happen. Tsunade would have the say over what is to happen with the Sanbi that will benefit both Konoha and her and keep Akatsuki away from it. "Now, lead the way Sonea and keep an eye on each other as we travel in case someone gets snared by the mist again." Kakashi ordered and Sonea started off with the team following behind.

They found a small clearing just out of the mist where they could watch the Sanbi from and decided to set up a house by Yamato there. Sonea felt the strain and returned to her demon mode and barely slipped a blanket around her shoulders before falling asleep against a tree for the time being.


	13. Chapter 13

Sonea woke up sometime during the night, inside the house, to an explosion. She stood up but began to get dizzy and began to fall again when someone caught her and set her back down. She looked up to see Shizune, Ino, Tenten and Lee, looking worriedly down at her and she gave a weak smile.

"Please tell me Tsunade sent you with some good medication." Sonea said to Shizune, who was hovering over her while the others were greeting the rest of the team down stairs.

"She did. After hearing this and thinking about that dream you had, she gave me everything to help you… Having two bijuu around must be straining you quite badly eh?" Shizune asked with a small smile as she injected something into Sonea's arm, which made her back feel looser and she sighed with relaxation as she stretched a little. "You just sit here and rest while I get the full details from Kakashi-san and Yamato." Shizune said as she lay the blanket back around her shoulders and left and Sonea closed her eyes for a while as the medication set in. She opened her eyes a little while later to see Kakashi, Yamato and Shizune come back into the room.

"Miss me already… Hey, what was that explosion earlier?" Sonea asked as they moved to sit by her.

"Naruto-kun went to look for the kid he was talking about and Senpai and I were bringing him back when Sakura decided to 'teach him a lesson'." Yamato explained.

"Is Naruto okay?" She asked with worry, sitting up and holding her head when the world began to spin again.

"He fought against the crystal user but he was okay when we found him." Kakashi explained as he moved her to lie with her head on his lap and brushed back a few strands of hair from her face. Kakashi rolled out a map onto the floor and they began discussing what had happened during the mission. "There are four shinobi who are able to travel through the mist. I also fought a beastly large man and a crystal release user." Kakashi began.

"They encountered a bijuu, the Sanbi, at the lake." Yamato explained.

"That's how far our initial Intel went. It looks like we have to get to work on sealing it. If they get the Sanbi, things will get horrific." Shizune expressed.

"There's also some new information we've just discovered. Naruto spotted a child at the lake and according to him, he controlled the bijuu." Kakashi explained and Sonea was more awake now.

"Impossible. Someone who can control a bijuu?" Shizune said with disbelief

"Naruto also encountered the crystal release user with the kid shortly after. According to Naruto, the kid thinks of the crystal release user as someone he can go home to." Kakashi explained.

"Just who is this child? There shouldn't be a jinchuuriki for the Sanbi." Shizune said.

"I have a theory…" Sonea spoke up and sat up slowly with Kakashi's help. "The kid looks very similar to the Sanbi's previous jinchuuriki and he had some control over the beast so maybe they were related and he possesses the same ability… Please carry on." She said as she lay back down again, to tired to go into details.

"Maybe Orochimaru is trying to make a jinchuuriki out of this child with his abilities according to what Sonea said, it could be a possibility?" Yamato suggested.

"Looks like we have another issue on our hands." Shizune expressed. "Sonea, I know you are exhausted but we need to hear the story from your side as well as you seem to know more about this." Shizune asked and Sonea sat up again tiredly.

"The previous jinchuuriki for the Sanbi was the Yondaime Mizukage; Yagura who is a splitting image of this kid. What I witnessed earlier was the chakra coming from this kid and in turn froze the Sanbi in place. However, I will make the situation worse if it sees me again as it still holds a lot of anger towards me and it will be easier to seal it if I am far from it. Right now, under these circumstances, sealing it is the best option. The crystal release user, Guren, using wind and lightning natured attacks work best as she cannot crystallize chakra. If you can stop the kid from controlling the Sanbi, you can easily outsmart it and overpower it… Is there anything else you want to know?" She asked, stifling a yawn

"No but if we have more questions we know who to ask. We will now talk to the team and you can rest and the plan will be explained to you when you are more aware and feeling better. Now get some rest." Kakashi said, laying her down to sleep and kissed her on the forehead before they left the room.

They left the next morning for the lake and everything was explained. Sonea would be on the team going up against Guren as she could counter her easily and also away from the Sanbi during the sealing. They examined the lake and prepared to move out in the three groups.

"Alright, let's get started. Everyone assume positions. Go!" Kakashi said and the two battle squadrons moved out. The two squads split up and were travelling while Naruto introduced Sai and Shino. Sonea smiled, listening to them while travelling next to Kakashi with the rest of the team behind.

"How are you feeling now that you're using the locket?" Kakashi asked and Sonea was a bit surprised as to how he knew she was using it now for this operation.

"I'll be fine as long as I keep focus, my seal and the Jyuubi won't be giving me any problems. Let's just keep focused right now." Sonea said and Kakashi nodded as they reached the lake and Shino began preparations for his new kikaichuu against Guren.

"Shino, how are things there?" Kakashi asked him.

"I need a little more time." Shino said.

"Understood. Sai, we're going to use the same formation as when Yamato was captain… Yeah… You're also from there. Huh?" Kakashi said, not impressed when Sai called him senpai and Naruto was confused. "I mean the ANBU. Well, the way they fight, they aren't supposed to protect their comrades, but this time, we're fighting to protect our comrades no matter what. Keep that in mind." Kakashi reminded Sai.

"Don't worry. To believe in the strength of your comrades. I'm here because that's something I believe in now." Sai explained with a smile. Everyone scattered as the big man smashed into the spot they were just standing. Crystal shuriken then flew at them and Kakashi countered the man at the same time and Guren finally showed herself. It seemed Guren and Naruto still held a grudge against each other as she attacked him first. The man picked up the crystal tower and swung it down at them, Sonea smashed the tower and gave the team some cover. Sai drew a dog but the big man stood in and Guren went around him and they engaged blades again. She got around her and went straight for Kakashi who blocked with a kunai. Kakashi just missed her with Chidori and the man moved to protect her again. They started to talk about the kid again and Guren lashed out with anger. Sonea saw her chance as she was behind them and charged Guren dodged and Sonea barely dodged a full blow fist from the man but crouching. She twisted onto her hands and kicked back with full force, like a horse into the man's chest and sent him flying a few good feet.

She saw that Sai had tied up the man with ink snakes and turned to see Kakashi dodging the crystals moving upwards towards him and Naruto just standing up. Kakashi just took out three crystal dragons but she had a smirk and Sonea began running for him but didn't make it in time as Kakashi was stabbed him right in the back with the crystal when he tried to dodge. Sonea caught him in mid fall and felt the blood from his back and she lost it once again, the Jyuubi chakra burst forth and Guren was grinning and showing off. She brought out another three dragons again and was still smirking. Just as they began a dive towards them, Shino's kikaichuu saved them

"Just in time… Did you do it?" Kakashi asked as Shino as he appeared next to them.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't." Shino said, smart-assed.

"You're the bug user? Your jutsu's won't work against me." Guren said cockily. The bugs went forward and she tried to crystallize them but they broke free.

"Sonea, back up Sai and get back into formation, I'm alright so calm down." Kakashi whispered up to Sonea. She snarled slightly but then closed her eyes with a deep breath and pushed the Jyuubi's chakra back and shimmered over to Sai who was keeping the man busy. He had him tied up and unsheathed his tanto. An earth jutsu came up behind them and Sonea grabbed Sai and placed her wings around him with lightning natured chakra to let the jutsu pass over them and fail but the man had already escaped.

"Are you okay Sai?" Sonea asked him as she unwrapped herself from him.

"Yes. Thank you Sonea-san… Let's get back." He suggested and they began running back to the rest of the squad. They got back and the enemy had disappeared again.

"Okay, let's split up and search. Naruto with Shino and Sai come with me, Sonea, you search from the air as you have to stay away from the Sanbi." Kakashi ordered and they all split up. She could see the sealing team engaging an enemy and a slightly familiar presence in the facility, one she hadn't felt for a long time but she ignored it, she had to find the Guren for pay back. She did a few laps around the lake and when she returned to the sealing team, she spotted a pink crystal dragon and there were only two people there; Tenten and Lee.

"Shit." Sonea said out loud as she dived for Guren on the dragon. She missed Guren but managed to destroy the dragon, she ended up in the water and face to face with the Sanbi who began to struggle harder against the net.

"How dare you show your face around me! I will rip you to shreds Sonea Storm Shadow!" It roared out in anger and she saw the barrier begin to waver. Sonea panicked and swam for the surface only for the barrier to break and follow her to the surface, she instantly took to the air and rolled, barely dodged a tail swung up at her. The Sanbi roared once again in anger and aimed for Naruto, Shino, Guren and another person. Sonea took off towards them and made it in time to place an air pressure wave onto the blast so that the blast hit the water in front of them but it still washed everyone, including her with the current and she got separated from everyone else.

She woke up gasping for air and spotting Sakura hovering above her. She pushed her hands away and sat up, only to fall back down with dizziness. She focused on her breathing for a while as she coughed up some water from the lake. When her breathing was back under control, she proceeded to sit up again and looked out into the lake and frowned.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault the Sanbi escaped." Sonea said as Sakura helped her over to the fire to dry off and warm back up. "The Sanbi is still in a rage out there somewhere. I guess we have to wait for everyone to regroup before we can move again." Sonea said, watching the fire with a sad expression. Shizune moved close up next to her.

"So what happened with your team and when you were underwater?" Shizune wanted a report but was also curious about the Sanbi.

"The team encountered Guren and the beastly large man Kakashi described. Kakashi and Naruto went up against Guren while Sai and I took the guy. He was easily restrained with Sai's technique and so I moved to Kakashi who needed back up when Naruto went down and Kakashi became injured. Shino then intercepted and fought Guren and I was ordered back to Sai. He then caught us off guard and escaped with an earth jutsu. Sai and I returned to the group which then split up and I took the sky. I did a few rounds to look for them when I spotted Lee and Tenten fighting Guren and another enemy and I dived for her. The Sanbi became extremely angry when it saw me and threatened to rip me to shreds and that is when I returned to the surface, barely dodging its tail. It turned its rage at Guren, Naruto, Shino and the last enemy and fired a high-pressure water canon. I intercepted with a high pressure air push on it into the water and the current carried everyone away and I ended up here." Sonea explained.

"Whoa, you can understand bijuu?" Shizune asked, completely disregarding everything she had just heard but the talking bijuu part.

"Yeah but usually only jinchuuriki can understand them unless they want to talk." Sonea explained when she saw the rest of the team walk back but no Naruto and she panicked. Shizune helped Sonea to stand up and walked over to the team and everyone seemed to have saddened spirits since Naruto went missing. The kid on Kakashi's back was the near splitting image of Yagura now that she saw him up close as they made their way back to the house and let the kid rest.

"The Sanbi vanished amidst the lake, but this isn't over quite yet. We'll wait for the sealing team to recover, then we'll try the four corner sealing barrier again. However, we can't move this kid right now. As soon as he's recovered, we'll move out to a safer location to start preparing again. In the meantime, we'll search for Naruto. Yamato, Sai, Kiba, Hinata and I- the five of us will search for Naruto. Shizune, since he might be injured, you should come along as well. Sakura, Ino, the kid will be left with you. The rest will keep guard. The enemy will definitely try taking him back. Everyone, be on alert and carry on with your mission." Kakashi ordered and he looked to Sonea for her decision. She stood up and looked out the window at the lake, something was nagging at her.

"I'll look for Naruto as well since he is easy for me to sense and I'll see about wearing the Sanbi down to." Sonea said determinedly. The search team headed out for the lake and split up into teams. Sonea swam into the lake and located the Sanbi before diving under to find it. It wasn't impressed that she was there but it seemed to have a smugness about itself.

"Why so quiet Isobu?" Sonea asked it in her mindscape. It just looked at her with its one good eye.

"I got my revenge on you now leave!" It said, laying its head back down..

"What do you mean?" Sonea asked it with suspicion and confusion.

"Well, let's see… I ate that annoying crystal woman and that loud mouth blonde, I'm happy now." It said easily and prepared to sleep, Sonea was shocked to say the least.

"I don't think Kurama is going to be very happy with you once he finds out he's been eaten by you… That blonde is his jinchuuriki." Sonea said, gauging its reaction but Isobu just seemed angry at the mention of Kurama and turned on Sonea as she began to swim away to the surface with it chasing her. She twisted and flipped through the air, avoiding its three tails and landing on the water to face it. She had no choice as she entered Jyuubi chakra mode and Isobu charged an attack.

"You do not deserve that power you low life human!" Isobu roared as it let the blast go, Sonea used a water wall to curve it slightly out of her path and charged back at it with a lightning jutsu, dodging to the sides as it swung its tails at her. She borrowed Kakashi's Chidori as she hit one of its armoured tails that blocked its face from the attack and she moved back and dodged another blast at her. She could sense the others watching her from the shore and knew she had to end it there. Dodging its wild tails once again, she appeared above its neck and created a high pressure blast using her storm release which forced it to withdraw underwater. She considered herself lucky that she came out of that fight relatively unsaved except for the few scratches she got from not full evading its attacks. They arrived back at the house to find the kid up and about again but Sonea and the kid eyed each other as they passed and Kakashi, Yamato, Shizune and Sonea were called over by Sakura and Ino with Yuukimaru.

"We know that kid has a connection to the Sanbi and he say's that Naruto and Guren have been eaten by the Sanbi." Sakura explained in a low voice.

"Is it really true?" Kakashi asked with hope.

"Yuukimaru truly believes that Guren is still alive." Sakura explained.

"According to him, Naruto and Guren were both swallowed by the Sanbi, right?" Yamato asked.

"Considering the fact that we still haven't found Naruto after all of our searching, this story might actually have some truth to it. But how can you tell that Guren is safe?" Kakashi asked Yuukimaru.

"Guren-san made this for me. If anything happens to Guren-san, it will break as well." Yuukimaru explained, holding out a crystal Camilla.

"Still, that crystal only shows us that Guren is safe. It doesn't tell us anything about Naruto-kun." Shizune said, a bit worried.

"Correction… Naruto is still alive and is in the Sanbi, it admitted that fact to me right in front of my face and was all smug about it and I can feel the Kyuubi still." Sonea spoke up with slight annoyance and everyone went wide-eyed at the comment she made. Kiba seemed to shake himself out of it first.

"Even if he's still alive, he's with that crystal bastard, right? Perhaps they're settling things between them in a fight." Kiba explained.

"Right now, those kind of assumptions are useless. We have to believe he is safe and find the Sanbi again." Yamato explained.

"I'll look for it. I'm not sure how but I can sense it." Yuukimaru explained.

"But, what are we going to do if we find the Sanbi?" Kiba asked.

"We'll try to seal it one more time." Shizune said.

"Alright, that's when we'll try to save Naruto. Yamato will tag along in case the Sanbi becomes violent and we'll bring Shino along since Guren might get out along with Naruto. Sai, you'll be on look out from the air and Sonea will help Yuukimaru with the tracking. The rest will guard the area." Kakashi formulated a plan quickly. Sonea moved next to Yuukimaru and bent down to his level.

"I'm Sonea, lets work together to find our friends, you have an amazing ability Yuukimaru." She said with a gentle smile. Yuukimaru looked up and placed a hand on Sonea's cheek with a smile that caught her off guard as well.

"You also have a very special power, I can feel it… Let's find Guren-san and your friend together." He said happily, looking back down at his crystal. She carried Yuukimaru on her back between her wings and used her tails, as she was still in Jyuubi chakra mode, to steady him so she had her arms free as they travelled to the lake once more.

Yamato created a boat for Yuukimaru and Sonea sat with him in it as they focused on finding the Sanbi and Sonea taught him how to sense for it while they were being rowed out into the lake. Sonea and Yuukimaru reacted at the same time.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"They're here. Right beneath us." Yuukimaru said and Sonea confirmed it with a nod at Kakashi. "Wait, there's no exit. They're searching for a way out. If we can make a hole from the outside, that'll be their exit… Camilla… Bring me lots of camellias." Yuukimaru asked and Sai was sent out to collect them and Sonea stayed with Yuukimaru, he was connected to the Sanbi in such a way that it was amazing to her. Kakashi and Yamato dived into the water with Sonea following shortly behind and spotted the membrane that Yuukimaru explained earlier. Yamato held it down and Kakashi used Lightning blade on it as it began to crack and break. It began to suck the water in and Sonea used her wings in the water against the current, helping Kakashi and Yamato until they were standing on the surface again and waited but time ran out as the Sanbi woke up once again.

"Sai, Sonea! Take Yuukimaru somewhere safe." Kakashi ordered. Sonea stood next to the boat with Sai as he offered his hand to him.

"Yuukimaru, let's go, things are going to get dangerous but don't worry, my friends here will keep Guren safe for us." Sonea said with a reassuring smile. Yuukimaru took Sai's hand tentatively and he got onto Sai's bird and they took off. They landed in a forest and Sai set Yuukimaru down on a formation of rocks.

"Let's wait here, okay?" Sai asked him as Sonea tried to relax a little bit with the strain the Jyuubi's chakra was doing to her body at the moment. Yuukimaru nodded his answer and sighed. Sai reached for his water bottle and handed it to Yuukimaru… It seems Sai is better at reading people than everyone gave him credit for. Sonea heard the rustling of bushes before the click of a gun.

"Sai!" She shouted as she faced the enemy. Sai picked up Yuukimaru and put him somewhere safe while Sonea stopped the missiles heading for them. She sensed Sai heading back and they stuck close to the ground together, watching and waiting. Sai nudged her when he spotted something only to come up against a face and they split up again. She saw Sai get stuck to a tree by the blue guy and rushed over to help him when the missile man showed up again and shot straight at them. Sonea didn't have time to think as the missile hit them dead on and blew up.

She woke up to Sai hovering over her, she tried to sit up but fell back with a gasp as pain seared through her right side of her abdomen. She gasped for air for a while before looking down at the damage. There was a rather large splintered piece of wood sticking out.

"Sai, help me pull this out and bandage me up… Did they get Yuukimaru?" She asked, handing him a bandage and they placed their hands around the wood and began to pull slowly and she shut her eyes in pain, feeling each piece of splinter break off into her body.

"Unfortunately yes but you saved me from quite a predicament like you're in now." Sai explained, throwing the wood away and sitting Sonea up so he could wrap the bandage.

"What do you mean, I don't remember, please explain." She asked, anything to distract her from the pain.

"When he fired that missile, you instinctively wrapped your wings and tail around my body and the tree I was stuck to so that I wouldn't get hurt but you did in my place. Thank you but I'm also sorry at the same time." He said, finishing with the bandaging and helping her up.

"Don't be, I can't die anyway so what's the point of someone dying in my place when I could take the blow and live through it… Anyway, let's see if we can find the others and report what happened." Sonea said, patting her side gently as they began to walk. Kiba, Tenten and Lee eventually found them and they eyed Sonea's injury and she put a large and fake grin on to reassure them.

"Did you two run into those guys too?" Kiba asked them.

"Yes. However they took Yuukimaru away from us." Sai explained. They then spotted the enemies smoke screen and forced Lee to sit and watch for now since they risk attacking each other. Everyone else soon found them and they all made their way over to the sealing team, with Kakashi carrying Sonea on his back after she had to release the Jyuubi chakra mode so she could begin healing the wound. Unfortunately the enemy appeared again and they were forced to dive underwater, Sai took Sonea while they left Kakashi and Yamato to fight the weird combination of the three. The sealing failed once again and everyone returned to the house as it was getting late.

Naruto had retrieved Yuukimaru but he was in bad shape and had his chakra lines damaged, loosing his abilities. Tsunade was sending another team in to replace the damaged team and told to get some rest. Sonea sat on the roof with her blanket wrapped securely around her with her still healing wound and watched as Yuukimaru went home with Guren, it all explained why Guren got angry when Naruto confronted her and Naruto was okay with letting Yuukimaru go home with Guren.


	14. Chapter 14

Sonea lay on her left side and stared out of the window. They had been back for a week but the ANBU team that replaced them was lost and her team went to check it out only to find the area completely deserted. She could already guess that Akatsuki had the Sanbi already and she was annoyed that she couldn't leave the hospital yet. She looked over at the machine hovering over her side where the splinters were sticking out, she was having an operation everyday to remove them but they had to reopen the wound every time and it hurt. Team Kakashi came to visit her after missions and Kakashi would stay longer to chat and keep her company but he seemed a bit distracted lately before he left that morning to go on a mission with his team to Tsuchi no Kuni, following people who have gone missing with kekkei genkais. Tsunade walked in on that thought and began to prepare the operation once again, she sighed as she slipped into unconsciousness.

That last operation was the last but it had caused the worst damage and they put her into a forced coma for a week for her body to heal properly and she wasn't very happy when she heard that they had done that. She woke up to find out that Sai and Naruto were in the hospital and Kakashi was reading his book next to her on a stool and gave his usual two-fingered salute and a 'Yo' before he seemed to turn back to his book but he wasn't focused on it.

"Did something go wrong or is there something else bothering you." Sonea asked as she sat up gingerly and Kakashi began to help her.

"No, nothing's wrong." He said, giving her an eye smile before sitting and reading his book once again. Sonea narrowed her eyes at him; he had never lied to her before.

"Kakashi, I know you to well for you to lie to me effectively and I can see right through that façade of yours so spill it or do you want a taijutsu battle with me when I get out later." Sonea ordered and Kakashi sighed before putting his book back into his pouch, slid the curtain around her bed and removed his hitai-ate, mask and flak jacket. He faced her lying on the bed and took her hand into his and still looked down and troubled until he looked directly in her eyes with seriousness.

"Sonea… I've lost so much in my life time and sometimes it becomes so painful that I can't bare it but then you come along and give me that reason to return from every mission, hoping and praying that we make it back both alive and to see and comfort each other again… But that is going to end sometime and I fear it will be sooner than we think and I just…" Kakashi began as a blush and sadness filled his eyes and cheeks.

"You what?" Sonea asked gently, wanting to cry at what he was saying as she ran her other hand through his silver strands.

"I wanted to say that I love you Sonea Storm Shadow and you have been my rock and I wanted to thank you for that." He said, his eyes so meaningful that Sonea melted under the gaze of the blushing man she loved and she let her tears fall over and she choked out a wet laugh with emotion. She sat forward and they hugged so tightly that it felt like the first and last time they would feel each other and that scared Sonea after having a flash back to when Itachi hugged her that last time. Behind her head, Kakashi held his eyes shut with pain of what he was going to do to her, sacrifice himself to save the village and the world like she was already doing and kill Hiruko.

Kakashi had made sure that Sonea didn't know about the apparition that appeared in the sky earlier of Hiruko or that he was being controlled as the last puzzle piece to Hiruko and he was going to hand himself over to kill him for the world. He had already planned everything with Tsunade so that no one could stop him. Sonea's ANBU team would be going on a mission as soon as they returned and will be put under a genjutsu so they don't remember the apparition from earlier so she couldn't try to save him… He was sacrificing himself for his friends and for her to live while she can as she had limited time left. He left the hospital room after a soul-searing kiss and to Tsunade who would put a jutsu on him to destroy Hiruko. Sonea didn't see the single tear that fell from his eye as he left.

Sonea was released from hospital that afternoon and her team took off back to the lake where the Sanbi was for investigation that same evening. Tsunade seemed tense, as did the entire village, which made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. The mission was also suspicious, her team had returned for her for them to return back with the same orders. Her team also seemed slightly confused, Storm, Sage, Fall and Star for a five-man team and all others who were down there also returned for the team to return back to the lake 'just in case?'

They reached it early the next morning to a completely clear lake, which proved that the Sanbi was no longer there anyway. A cold wind whipped past her and Star sucked in a sudden breath and they all turned to her shocked face, which was very unusual for the girl.

"Star, what's wrong?" Sonea asked as the wind continued to blow and give her a bad feeling, it felt like there was something missing in her heart and it hurt but was numb at the same time.

"I… There was a genjutsu placed on me and I just broke it accidentally… We need to move to Tsuchi no Kuni if we want to save your idiot of a boyfriend Sonea." Star said seriously and everything slotted into place as they began to run full force in their wolf form and Star replayed the apparition to Sonea while breaking the others genjutsu. Storm then relayed everything he knew about Hiruko using the Chimera jutsu and using Kakashi as the fifth kekkei genkai and become the ultimate ninja. He also put major stress on Konoha and the world by admitting he came from there and threatened war on all countries, he then moved to explain Kakashi's plan as he remembered seeing a marking on his wrist when they passed each other… Suicide. Sonea was confused between hurt, angry and grief stricken at that moment as they could follow chakra signatures of the rookie eleven.

They came across them, holding down a beast with chains and Sonea, still in her wolf form and deciding to stay angry, used her chakra chains to help them until she got the information she wanted from them but the beast suddenly disappeared.

"Get on!" She ordered them. They each got on and Sonea began following Naruto's chakra signature and had Neji and Hinata on her back. "What's happened here, where is Naruto, Sakura, Sai and Shikamaru?" Sonea ordered with a growl.

"Kaka-sensei went to Hiruko of his own wishes to kill him but Naruto refused to let him go and sacrifice and chased after him. We were sent to bring him and Sakura and Sai back." Neji informed her. She growled.

"Well, I hope you won't think lowly of me right now but I want to save him too so once we get there, I'll be on Naruto's side." Sonea informed him and he was okay with it. A large cloud appeared overhead and Sonea could barely make out Hiruko at the top of a rubble hill. They stopped and Sonea ordered her team to back them up against the beast and they complied and followed after them. She continued to Naruto and Kakashi and transformed instantly to Jyuubi chakra mode, she took notice of Hiruko's abilities while she was moving to back them up. Hiruko contained the Dark release, Swift release, Steel release and the genkai of the Storm release. She stopped for a few seconds to gain the control of the chakra absorbing cloud overhead and put it to a minimum before noticing Naruto was in big trouble. Before his own power from Hiruko could hit him, Sonea shimmered over in between them and took the blast with her wings and her storm release on them. Kakashi appeared and distracted Hiruko and she smiled at Naruto and helped him up only to fly up above the cloud with him after ordering him to leave a few shadow clones behind.

"Listen, he'll absorb anything you throw at him. But I have a hunch that there is one technique he can't absorb; Wind release; Rasen-shuriken. I'm going to throw you up so as you fall, you'll have enough time to complete the technique while I disperse the cloud so you can keep the jutsu stable." Sonea explained quickly and Naruto nodded. She threw him up and began working on the storm cloud. As Naruto came down with rasen-shuriken, she dispersed the cloud and as she thought, Hiruko couldn't take the technique and fell.

Sonea ordered her team home and said she would catch up. She moved to the top of a spiky rock formation and thought about what just happened and tried to get her emotions in check. She could feel Kakashi standing on the ledge just below her and you could cut the tension with a knife. She heard Kakashi open his mouth to say something.

"I don't want to talk about this right now." Sonea choked out emotionlessly and Kakashi closed his mouth again as Naruto hopped up next to him.

"Kaka-sensei… Look. I've always tried to live up to what you taught us back then." Naruto said, taking out the bells that have been passed from student to teacher. Kakashi took them and held them close.

"You know, you're a lot like him." Kakashi said with a smile.

"What's that? Why are you grinning like that? You're really starting to freak me out." Naruto said, cringing away as everyone else joined in.

"I'm shocked. I mean, the two of you have always been close but still." Hinata said embarrassedly and Sonea began to smirk, she knew where this was going.

"Sometimes after sharing a very intense situation, it says here that love can blossom. But it says nothing about men." Sai said, reading from a book.

"Oh come on, you've got to be kidding me." Shikamaru said lazily.

"What? No, that isn't what I meant." Kakashi said with a voice in a higher octave than normal.

"Guy-sensei told me that is simply another part of youth." Lee said.

"I always suspected something like that is going on." Tenten said. Naruto freaked out and ran for it with Kakashi chasing after him, trying to explain and Sonea was holding in her laughter as the team began to move for home. She didn't feel as angry now but she was still hurt and secretly thanked Naruto with all of her heart. The group caught up to Kakashi and Naruto walking together, though Kakashi was holding him by his collar.

"Naruto, I actually have a girlfriend but I doubt she would want to see my face right now after nearly sacrificing myself…" Kakashi explained to him as the group caught up and gasps and whispers were heard from everyone, Sonea followed a bit back from the group and listened to Kakashi get swamped with questions.

"Well come on sensei, spit it out already!" Sakura said. "Come on, at least give us a clue, do we know her, how long have you two been seeing each other, why have we never seen you two together?" Sakura would have continued her questions but Ino put a hand over her mouth for Kakashi to get a word in.

"You have seen us together." Kakashi said, giving nothing away with his hands in his pockets now as the group huddled around him.

"Come on Kaka-sensei, something more specific." Ino complained.

"Fine. You do know her." He said, still not giving anything away as he whipped out his book and kept the other hand in his pocket. The group began to talk.

"Well, we know many people that we've seen Kaka-sensei walking with. There is Anko… Shizune… Yuugo… Kurenai but she's spoken for… It's not someone in this group is it?" Ino and Sakura began naming and looked to Hinata and Tenten who had a grossed out look before nearly yelling no. Sonea was taking in the scenery with her hands in her ANBU uniform pants and just listening. Shikamaru moved back to her and whispered, barely audible.

"I know it's you… Do you want me to help them out?" Shikamaru said with a small smirk and Sonea sighed quietly.

"If you want to but it's like Kakashi said, I don't really want to talk to him right now." Sonea said with a shrug and Shikamaru moved back to the group to help them out.

"You are missing someone very vital here." Shikamaru gave the clue while looking up at the clouds. Everyone seemed stunned before questioning him but he said it would be too troublesome and told them to figure it out for themselves. They all seemed to give up until they saw the village gates ahead. Sakura and Ino's eyes widened and squealed and the rest of the group jumped and moved out of their way and nearly tackling Sonea who merely side stepped them and they landed on their faces. Everyone began to catch on after that and stared in frozen shock.

"Sonea… You and Kaka-sensei?!" Naruto yelled out and Sonea couldn't hide her blush as Kakashi appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his head on her shoulder, eying everyone. Sonea couldn't stay angry with him at that second and decided to play along for now as she turned her head towards Kakashi and nuzzled his cheek, keeping her eyes on the stunned group and placing her hands and arms on his around her waist. Shikamaru, Sai, Shino and Neji seemed unphased. The girls were trying to hide their squeals behind grins and Choji, Lee, Kiba and Naruto had their jaws on the ground. Sonea smirked evilly as she pulled herself in his hold to face him, placed a hand over his face to hide it, pulled down his mask with the other hand and kissed him and everyone's jaws dropped and the girls squealed. She pulled up his mask and smiled at everyone before shimmering away, leaving Kakashi to deal with the team as he had to report to Tsunade with them.

She sat on Minato's head on the Hokage Mountain and watched the sunset that had turned red and allowed her emotions to flow easily as she rested her head on her crossed arms leaning on her knees that were up by her chest. First came the longing to be near him again as she though about having him still in the world of the living, then came her anger that he would willingly give up his life after his little speech in the hospital room and then came the sadness that he would choose to be sacrificed so easily and she allowed her tears to fall silently at the searing hole and pain in her chest at that thought. She had just experienced the pain he was going through when he watched her but she held some anger by thinking he had a choice but she doesn't and she has tried to change fate but nothing was working. She felt Naruto's presence behind her as he walked over to her and sat down next to her silently, giving her comfort and support as they watched the sunset.

"Thank you Naruto." Sonea choked out with tears again but she was pulled into his side as he squeezed her shoulder with his hand and Sonea cried on his shoulder.

"Tell him if he ever hurts you again like he did today, I will Rasen-shuriken his ass, alright?" Naruto said with a smile at her as he wiped away her tears. She smiled and nodded when an odd wind swept past them and they both looked out. "The wind gives me a bad feeling." Naruto said and Sonea agreed. She left Naruto at the Hokage Tower to have a serious talk with Tsunade about what happened and Sonea made her way to Kakashi's apartment to 'talk this out.' She knocked politely on his door and as he opened it, she threw the first punch and continued to assault him into his house and shouting as tears fell again, showing him all of her emotions.

"How could you do that to me and your comrades! And plan a whole thing out so I wouldn't find out and Naruto ended up saving your ass and he will Rasen-shuriken ass if you hurt me like that again! But that doesn't mean you can choose to die, do you think I chose this fate?! You forced Tsunade into that situation, do you know how badly history treats Kage's who sacrifice their ninja! I know what is happening with me is unfair and you… just gave… me… a… taste of what I'm doing to you…" Kakashi had blocked the last weak punch she threw as she let her head hang as the pain began in her chest again. He let her hand drop and took a step forward where she slapped him across the face hard as her red eyes shone bright with anger at his mismatched eyes that were wide with shock and he had a hand to his cheek and they stared at each other for a while with the same expression. Sonea seemed to register everything and stepped back until her back hit a wall and she slid down it with her tired and sore head in her hands. Kakashi just sat down next to her with his back against the wall and they sat, she didn't even realise that she fell asleep.

She woke up to a warm body behind her and one arm wrapped around her waist while the other was tracing her seal on her back and a nose nuzzling into her shoulder with legs tucked in behind hers. She sighed with a mixture on emotions as she pushed back into the body and rubbed up against him, he let a growl slip out and Sonea smiled, she really didn't want to be interrupted this morning. He began to nibble, lick and suck on her neck as she tilted her head into the pillow to allow him more access, she shivered as he bit down hard on the junction of her neck and shoulder, sucking until a hickey was left and bit down a bit further up where he drew blood and licked it up, this time Sonea moaned with pleasure as they rubbed skin against skin and biting each other. Sonea had turned to face him and began working on his neck as he removed her collared halter neck with ease and began to kiss his way down as Sonea's hands ran up his shirtless back until they found their hold in his hair while he kept kissing every surface of her he could reach.

"Seems like you're having fun there." Jiraiya called from the doorway luckily he didn't see anything with how Kakashi's bed was angled to the door. Kakashi let his head fall in the crook of Sonea's shoulder and groaned with annoyance as she laughed with embarrassment as he hid her body with his. He expertly stood up and threw the covers over her and got his shirt on with his mask before turning around to face Jiraiya.

"This had better be good Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi nearly growled out.

"Oh, it is. Orochimaru has been killed by Sasuke… I'll be waiting at Tsunade's office so we can work out a plan of action and notify Naruto and Sakura. See ya." He said, suishinned out with a small poof. Kakashi sat down on his bed with his head in his hands and another groan. Sonea sat up on her knees and wrapped her arms over his shoulders, purposefully and he leaned back against her with his eyes closed as Sonea ran her hands over his clothed chest.

"Why…" He groaned out and Sonea laughed and rested her head on her arm and against his cheek.

"It seems like you've become fates bitch too… Come on, let's have a quick shower and we'll go and see how your old Team 7 is handling this." Sonea said, keeping her back to him and walking to the bathroom and stopped to look over her shoulder at him. "Come on, let's go." She said cheekily. Kakashi jumped up fast and chased her into the bathroom with a small squeak from her.

They could hear Naruto's loud demanding voice from down the corridors they walked to Tsunade's office.

"So what do we do?" Naruto asked Tsunade as they walked in.

"Until we happen to find Itachi, all we can do is remain calm and search." Kakashi piped up. Naruto seemed older somehow, obviously distraught that his friend wasn't returning home after killing Orochimaru.

"Find Sasuke by going after Itachi? So then we find Itachi and then what?" Jiraiya asked defensively.

"About that, I have an idea. Could you give me some time?" Kakashi asked and Tsunade sighed.

"You have until tomorrow morning Kakashi. You are dismissed but Sonea." Tsunade said and left Kakashi and Sonea with Tsunade who sat down at her desk.

"What do you need Tsunade?" Sonea asked with a carefree tone.

" I want to see your eyes and know the amount of pain you're in before I can let you on duty." Tsunade said with a sigh. Sonea frowned at this as she removed the genjutsu showing the full sharingan and two tomoes already on the next ripple.

"I don't want you using that locket yet and so I'll give you these… Level ten medication but you may use your locket when the pain becomes unbearable… Do you want to go on this mission to find Sasuke again?" Tsunade asked as she threw the pills at Sonea who caught them and placed them into her pouch.

"I do, my wolves will be useful for tracking… It seems Akatsuki has been busy but I think they had already captured one of them before they could seal him. Thanks for the meds Tsunade." She said, taking Kakashi's hand and walking out of the office while replacing the genjutsu.

"I never knew it was this bad already." Kakashi finally said.

"Neither did I. So who's coming with us?" Sonea asked as they walked.

"Team Kurenai, they're best at tracking and my team with Yamato while I lead the other team but this time you'll be under my team and command." Kakashi explained and Sonea smirked.

"Yes, Captain Kakashi." She said seductively into his ear and began to laugh while they got the teams together and went to their homes to prepare.


	15. Chapter 15

It was horrible weather for tracking the next day as the team assembled outside the gates. They all had their capes on, including Sonea who also wore her long sleeved top that was similar to Ino's top but without the back and tight black pants under her black cape, standing out from the group. She continued to get stares from the group but ignored them as they waited for orders.

"Then, I hereby assign you this mission of locating and capturing Uchiha Itachi. Be careful and watch each others backs out there." Tsunade ordered and they took off. They reached a town that Jiraiya's spy had told him about and they decided to start there.

"Alright. Our mission to find Itachi and bring him in begins now. Akatsuki is after the bijuu, and we have a reason to believe that they've obtained the Sanbi. According to Jiraiya-sama's information, they may have already infiltrated Hi no Kuni, targeting Naruto. Itachi is from Konoha, three years ago he returned to the village in an effort to capture Naruto." Kakashi informed them.

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Yamato warned when Naruto and Sakura became determined.

"Here's the plan. This will serve as our first centre point. We'll do a five-kilometre radius search in every direction. If we don't find anything, we'll establish a new centre point and repeat the process. And so on and so forth… Pay attention." Kakashi ordered when Sakura became distressed. He nodded to Sonea and they performed the summoning jutsu together and Kakashi's eight ninken and Sonea's seven normal sized wolves appeared.

"Our voices can reach farther than a radio and our noses can detect danger in an instant are at your command." Pakkun said happily and the wolves nodded in agreement.

"Now, onto the patrol formations. Every member but Sonea and her wolves will be accompanied by two ninken. Be nice all of you." Kakashi said to his dogs as they chose their travel companions. Fire and Seth were working together, Bolt and Fall, Storm and Sage and Sonea and Star.

"So what about me?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, you're the jinchuuriki they're after. Just in case you were to be involved in battle, you'll be paired with Yamato and our scout, Hinata." Kakashi said and Pakkun flopped over Kakashi's shoulder.

"Along with big bark Bull." Pakkun said.

"Kiba, Sonea and I each have one dog each already since we are ninja dog and wolf shinobi. Listen up everyone. First and foremost, you'll be tracking the scents of Itachi and Sasuke. If you are to encounter them, mark their location and return here. Especially you Naruto don't go running ahead of us. Alright let's move out… Scatter." He ordered and everyone took off in separate directions.

Sonea could sense so many hostile and familiar presences within the radius when she concentrated but it was fuzzy from the pain so she directed her pack to the separate locations by feel and they obliged. Fire and Seth caught up with Naruto and relayed what they saw. Kabuto had approached them but nothing happened, he just left information on Akatsuki behind for them and left and I gave the order to follow to the maximum point before they let him go. Sage and Storm came across a battle on the outlands but couldn't get close as it was to dangerous and it was way out of their range of five kilometres so they stayed and watched for now.

They continued their search only for Sonea to feel a mass of Chakra in Storm's and Sage's direction and ordered them to run back, Sonea watched the explosion from her position and it engulf her friends too through them but Sage thought quick enough and burrowed them deep enough into the ground and save them. She saw everyone running for the crater from the explosion and began her way over there to. Star and Sonea got there first and helped Sage and Storm out while Kakashi, Shino, Sakura and Kiba made it there first then Naruto and the rest. She ordered her wolves to scatter again after confirming that Sasuke was there to find a trace of where he might have gone.

"It looks like Sasuke… Has formed a own group of his own. The other scent that's there belongs to a member of Akatsuki, a man by the name of Deidara… I guess he faked his own death to escape from us. Akatsuki travel in two-man cells, so there are three cells left. Sasuke travels in a four-man cell." Kakashi explained. Sonea's wolves returned and couldn't find a trail of where Sasuke had gone, meaning he used some sort of space-time jutsu.

"I've found Sasuke." Kiba announced, his nose being way stronger than a dogs and Kiba began to lead the way. "Judging by his scent, he's not currently on the move. They must be resting." Kiba explained as they entered a forest area. They had been travelling through the trees for a while when Kiba spoke up again. "This is bad. Sasuke's on the move again… Hold on, something's not right. Sasuke's scent is splitting up. It's going off in a lot of directions." Kiba explained.

"They must have noticed that we're following them so they're using a diversion… I'm not quite sure what their abilities are but they most likely have a powerful chakra-sensing shinobi by his side." Kakashi hypothesised, Naruto created clones to follow the scents.

"I'll need a bit of time but I should be able to sense him while Naruto cut's down the scents, I'll be as quick as I can." Sonea explained, using Jyuubi chakra mode and placing her hands in the ram seal and closing her eyes to concentrate while sending her wolves off to track the scents as well. She sensed Naruto moving up ahead and someone ahead as well. She opened her eyes to watch ahead through the trees and saw Itachi and Naruto but Itachi moved off very quickly as they caught up to him and Naruto said he just slipped but Sonea knew but kept quiet to talk to him about it later as they continued to move and Sonea found her target and her eyes opened with a smirk.

"I've found him, follow me… He's at the old Uchiha hideout, about ten kilometres from here." Sonea said, taking the lead with Kiba who sniffed in the change of direction.

"His scent is there but so is another three scents that I recognise from earlier." Kiba said and Sonea confirmed it from her sensing as they pushed forward again.

"Yeah, he's definitely in this direction. He killed one of my clones." Naruto confirmed as he, Sonea and Kiba travelled up front.

"Wait, Naruto-kun." Hinata called out as Sonea caught a familiar chakra ahead.

"Hello!" A masked man with an orange swirl on it appeared suddenly and Naruto fell back on his ass. "Oh my, oh my. Hello there, there and there.. I never imagined I would meet up with Konoha all the way out here. And there's at least two, four, six… Nine against one, that's just not fair." The masked man said. Sonea got a bit woozy as she felt a familiar seal appear in her mind and a memory… It seems like she was still being partially affected by Taka's attempts to gain her power for himself. Sonea listened as she tried to remember the presence and the familiarity of his mask and her seal began to burn and pulse like it's never done before, forcing her to one knee with pain.

"According to your robe… You seem to be a member of Akatsuki." Yamato pointed out.

"Although he's not on the list of Akatsuki members we got from Kabuto." Kakashi also stated.

"Well that's because I'm new. It's nice to meet you." The man shouted down.

"Don't make me laugh, we don't have time for this." Kiba shouted to him cockily.

"Don't be rash. Just observe him for now. He's outnumbered so the advantage is ours." Kakashi said quietly.

"True but he has something up his sleeve, he is obviously confidant in his abilities to go up a large group of shinobi. Whether he's an idiot or not, he's still Akatsuki and probably pretty strong to." Sonea stated back to remind them.

"What was that? Am I being… Underestimated." The masked man asked. Naruto tried to hit him with a rasengan but it passed right through him. "A shadow clone? Aaahhh… Just kidding." He said. Sonea's headache got worse as part of her memory came back to her… He is the same height and wears a mask like the man who controlled Yagura was. But another memory was trying to break through and it involved the Kyuubi as she heard it's roar in her head. Naruto attacked him head on with a kunai but got kicked across the face and landed in the river.

"What's this now? Could it be that you're trying to analyse my abilities? You Konoha people sure are cunning. But for a new guy, I'm pretty good don't you think?" The man said with a chuckle and scratched at the back of his head.

"He dodged all of Naruto's attacks." Yamato pointed out.

"As if he's toying with us but what is he after?" Kakashi wondered.

"He's not dodging at all, this is his ability. All of Naruto's attacks are passing through him and I think he is trying to buy time for Itachi." Sonea spoke up with pain leaking into her voice as she continued to hold her head and keep one eye on the enemy while the other stayed shut with pain.

"So what game should we play now my Konoha friends?" The man asked happily.

"We don't have time to screw around with you." Naruto said at him angrily.

"Alright everyone, let's end this." Kakashi ordered.

"Everyone we'll be going with formation B." Yamato ordered.

"Looks like you're getting serious now. Then I guess I'll get serious to." The man said as he began to stretch. Sonea left the memories for now and got into position to attack. Sakura threw Naruto high, distracting the man and everyone moved into place. "Whoa, he sure went high. That girl has superhuman strength. Whoa! They distracted me with a decoy and now have three people surrounding me?! I don't know which one to dodge! H-Hey, th-that's unfair!" The man shouted as they moved for an opening. But he moved to block them but they had to keep pushing through but they ended up where they started as he tried to hit them, coming up from the ground.

"I know! I'll name this technique… Ninja art; Whack a mole jutsu!" He announced happily.

"Although the mole is doing all of the whacking. Unless we defeat this guy, he's not going to let us through." Kakashi said annoyed.

"Hey, hey, hey! What do you want to play next?" The man asked happily. The group was going for formation A next. That didn't work either and the man used a jutsu that did nothing, something began to nag in the back of Sonea's mind as she charged forward, trying to give the group some more information on his abilities. Just like Naruto, she passed right through him but twisted for a roundhouse kick that he blocked? But he recovered only to kick her into the river. She pulled herself to shore when she suddenly got a slicing pain in her head and blanked out to a room where Itachi stood before her.

"_I have figured out a way to get rid of Taka so that it would not affect you as he confessed to me about what he was doing to you and how he manipulated the circle and you after those journals you apparently gave him. He had made a deal with the devil and become more demon than human and forcefully made fate choose him as your wind release member. I killed my clan under orders of Danzo and the council as well as Hiruzen as my clan were planning a coup and I worked as a double spy. I failed this mission, as I was not able to kill Sasuke. Please watch over him, as I want to die by his hand for this evil I have committed. You will not remember this information until the time of my death nears by Sasuke's hand. We will meet again my dear friend and I love you."_ He spoke with a sad smile to her. She could not believe what she just heard and tears sprang to her eyes.

"_Itachi… I, I mean how?"_ She asked the illusion. He walked up to her and placed a hand against her face as her tears fell and she leaned into it.

"_The night I killed my clan, I killed Taka for you but his jutsu still lingers and that is what I am doing in this illusion… Stopping any more memories from being lost to you. I placed the genjutsu on his body and when you found him, it sealed itself into your mind until my brother came to kill me, which appears to be right now. It appears my brother has chosen a dark path and I don't know if this man in front of you will snatch him up or if he'll return to our beloved home but Madara, the man, can be extremely manipulating and controlling. He plans to resurrect the Jyuubi to put the world under an eternal genjutsu so that the world would be peaceful but I don't think that is his true intention. You need to find a way to fight against him for the good of Konohagakure and the world Sonea Storm Shadow, jinchuuriki of the Jyuubi's yin half."_ He said with a mischievous smile and Sonea smiled back.

"_I'll do my best but you probably know that my hands are tied right now. I loose control everyday and the seal is barely holding anymore, it's all on will power and natural chakra… So is this man really Uchiha Madara?"_ Sonea asked as she slipped her arms around him and rested her cheek on his shoulder, facing his neck.

"_His story seems to true and I used my sharingan to see if he was lying but I saw no proof of it… Either he really is Madara or someone who believes whole-heartedly that he is Madara but he definitely is an Uchiha… My time is almost up… I need to go now. I wanted to confess that I fell in love with you and I will miss you like I have these past eight years, please remember to keep this a secret until the right time. Good bye Sonea."_ He said as he kissed her and she returned back to the real world with tears running down her face. She touched her lips from the kiss when another presence made itself known. She stood up to face it. It was Zetsu, also Akatsuki.

"How'd it go?" Tobi asked the plant like man.

"It's over. Sasuke won. Uchiha Itachi is dead." Zetsu confirmed. Sonea closed her eyes and looked away with emotional confusion and pain.

"That's unbelievable! Or not." Tobi said.

"It's just as I thought… Sasuke's down too so what now? He might be hanging on by a thread." Zetsu said, carefree. It was when Kakashi noticed Tobi's sharingan.

"I shall continue my fight with you some other time." Tobi said, changing the tone of his voice to be more serious. Sonea didn't think and didn't need to as she turned wolf and ran as fast as chakra enhanced legs would run for Itachi but also for Sasuke. No one, not even her wolves could keep up with her pace as she ran.

She came across the black flames of Amaterasu and somehow blasted a path through it and made her way through the destroyed Uchiha hideout only to find no chakra signatures and no bodies left behind… Itachi was gone from her forever again and she sat behind a rock and watched as the rain poured on her face. The group soon arrived and scanned the area before coming to rest by Sonea. She examined the destruction and realised that where she was sitting was the tower she created for the stone tablets hundreds of years ago from her sensei, making her feel worse about her whole situation.

"What's the deal here? What kind of battle would cause this much of a mess?" Kiba said with amazement.

"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked Hinata and Sonea appeared from around the rock to the group, emotionlessly.

"They got here before us… They're already long gone Naruto… I'm sorry." Sonea said and Hinata confirmed it.

"We were to late." Kakashi said sadly.

"Why? Why is it that I can never reach Sasuke?" Naruto said, leaning against a rock and letting his anguish taint his voice.

"If there's even the smallest trace of Sasuke's scent left… We'll see this through to the end. At least until we loose Sasuke's scent completely." Kakashi ordered with determination. Everyone scattered but Sonea who sat against the wall to try to sense him like she did earlier and they searched long into the night before giving into defeat.

"We've done everything we can. Let's head back… to Konoha." Kakashi said unwillingly and they started the silent trip back to Konoha. Naruto and Sonea both grieving over their losses and confusions. Katsuyu appeared on a tree suddenly and the group stopped.

"Tsunade-sama only summons Katsuyu-sama in times of urgency." Yamato explained to the group.

"Kakashi-san, Sonea-san you must report back to the village for briefing." Katsuyu explained the situation.

"Understood. We're up against the clock. Yamato will act as captain for Team 7 and depart immediately to Mount Katsuragi." Kakashi ordered and they all went their separate ways again but the silence still lingered.

The briefing was quick for the tracking team but it carried on for Kakashi and Sonea.

"Kakashi, report the entire situation." Tsunade ordered.

"Yes. Sasuke has formed a four-man cell consisting of a powerful sensory type ninja, we do not know anymore about his companions. Naruto came across Kabuto who left them all the information on Akatsuki Orochimaru had collected over the years however we came across an enemy that wasn't listed in the book. It appears that all of our attacks passed right through and appeared to teleport some how… Zetsu, who appeared during our fight with him, told us the result of the fight between Sasuke and Itachi that Sasuke had won and Itachi had died. It was then I saw the masked man's sharingan peering through the hole in his mask and his whole demeanour changed before they both left to pick up Sasuke and they took Itachi's body with them. We could not trace them as they had used a space-time jutsu to escape. We lost Sasuke again." Kakashi reported sadly. "Please could you take a look at Sonea's health, she suffered some pain during the fight with the masked man; Tobi." Kakashi asked with a hint of anger to his voice.

"I'm fine just some issues with my seal, that was all." Sonea said with slight annoyance and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It didn't look like that was all, you were barely able to stand and you were holding your head, I wouldn't call that 'seal' issues." Kakashi surprisingly snapped back and faced Sonea, Tsunade just watched on with caution.

"Fine… It was a vision and wasn't important but it still hurts like hell okay." Sonea snapped back with a lie.

"Then why were you crying and said Itachi's name before you took off huh?" Kakashi asked, they were both inches from each other's faces and staring each other down and talking in a low growling voice.

"Because…" Sonea growled at him.

"Because what?" He growled back.

"Because he loved me…" She growled but ended the sentence in a whisper of disbelief and looked away, unable to hold Kakashi's hurt gaze. "He placed a genjutsu on me long ago and it snapped while we were chasing after Sasuke okay, I was confused alright? You have my answer now so can we please drop it now… He's dead and was my best friend even though he did what he did I still cared for him, like Naruto does for Sasuke… May we get back to the topic at hand?" Sonea turned back to Tsunade who relaxed when she saw the fight was over.

"Alright, Sonea is there something you want to report that Kakashi may have missed out?" Tsunade asked.

"I did have a problem with my seal as soon as Tobi appeared, it began to burn like I've never felt it before and it was an odd sensation but it disappeared when he left though… I somehow don't think it was related to the genjutsu, this was trying to warn me about Tobi, I think. Kakashi covered everything perfectly but I will also try my best to remember what my seal was trying to tell me though… What is my next assignment Hokage-sama?" Sonea asked, eager to clear her head for a while, ANBU or not.

"I want you to join Team Kakashi on their mission… It may be a simple mission but this one has an odd feeling to it so report to Mount Kusaragi as soon as you two talk everything out. I don't want you two to be distracted in your missions because of your emotions. Dismissed." Tsunade ordered and they walked out with a slight awkward silence and went to the roof where they leaned against the railing, looking at the Hokage Mountain.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted in there, he confessed to me in the genjutsu and it left me feeling confused and I understand that you were angry because of how I took off and said his name instead of being focused on Sasuke that you still want to save… I want to help him too, for Itachi but most of all for Sasuke and Naruto, to protect their bond." Sonea said, looking up at the heads. Kakashi sighed and moved close to her as he leaned on the railing and put his arm around her.

"Our complicated relationship is really going to get us into trouble, isn't it? I'm sorry too, I know that Itachi and you were close and you can't just kill your emotions like a light switch, besides, you didn't know Sasuke very well but I think Naruto, Sakura and I will be lucky to have you help us out to bring Sasuke back to the light again… Now get going to the team, I'm sure they'll be waiting for you and gotten into some sort of trouble." Kakashi said, smacking her ass hard and walking away with a chuckle… Yes, their relationship was really going to get them in trouble.


	16. Chapter 16

She found the mountain and noticed the lights were on in the house and made her way up to it and felt two presences inside. She walked in quietly but with enough noise so Sakura wouldn't attack her blindly, Sakura was standing with a kunai poised at the ready.

"Relax Sakura, it's just me. Tsunade sent me as back up if needed, where's everyone else and who's that?" Sonea asked her as she moved to sit with her by the man she had treated.

"When we got here, the keeper of the technique had already gotten away but this man, the protector had been badly injured so I stayed behind while everyone else went to find the keeper and escort her safely. They should be returning soon." Sakura said. Sonea slept for the rest of the day, as she was tired from the happenings of the previous days. Sonea woke up to the door sliding open violently by Naruto who was angry and began talking angrily at the injured man.

"Hold it Naruto! Stop!" Yamato ordered him.

"I can't Captain Yamato! There's something I have to say. Tonbei, you old bastard, you knew that forbidden technique was engraved in her body didn't you?! " Naruto asked angrily, shaking the man who stared guiltily at the roof. Yamato calmed him down and Sai, Hotaru and another man walked in with a Kirigakure hitai-ate. The Rokubi called out to the familiar sense and Sonea realised this was it's jinchuuriki she couldn't find a year ago and was given the chance to warn him now. Sakura helped Tonbei to sit up carefully.

"People of Konoha…" Tonbei began.

"Stop it! It was my grandfather's doing!" Hotaru begged.

"You… Weren't you the only one who was always by her grandfather's side? Then why didn't you stop him?!" Naruto asked angrily.

"Please stop this Naruto-san." Hotaru begged.

"No I won't. All because of that… It's all because of that…" Naruto began.

"I asked him to do it. I was the one… I was the one who asked him to do it." Hotaru confessed.

"Hotaru, why did you do that?" Utakata asked, hurt. Naruto and Utakata couldn't understand it, she chose her fate where they didn't and they couldn't understand how she could choose to be the container of the technique. Naruto and Utakata moved to sit outside to think clearly and Sonea stood with them protectively.

"People of Konoha… Utakata-dono… I am indebted to you for all that you have done for us so far." Tonbie thanked them and Utakata began to blow bubbles.

"Not quite. The Tsuchigumo village has already been infiltrated by thieves." Yamato explained.

"Instead of that, how about taking a step back to our previous conversation" Naruto said, looking over his shoulder at the rest of the group.

"You mean the one regarding the forbidden technique? It's all due to my grandfather's dream. The Tsuchigumo clan was once a proud clan. It's said that with their forbidden techniques, they could change the tides of War. Then again, it's because of our forbidden technique that they were always being targeted and one by one the clan members lost their lives." Hotaru explained sadly.

"As the Great Wars came to end, there were only a few people left who could use the technique. In addition to that, En no Gyouja-sama and the village leaders had disagreements regarding the clans survival. It was due to this that the clan divided between Tsuchigumo village and Mount Katsuragi. However, age was catching up to En no Gyouja-sama and few chose to follow him to Mount Kasuragi." Tonbei explained.

"Grandfather believed that protecting the clan's name was the only way to make amends and honour those who've died. It was for everyone who had died protecting that forbidden jutsu. That's why I want to continue his legacy since he wasn't just my grandfather but he was also my master." Hotaru explained with pride for her clan.

"You're an idiot. You accepted the forbidden technique into your body just because of that? For your master or for your clan, that's just idiotic." Utakata said as he watched the stars, Sonea felt pity for him as she remembered his story she heard from Mei in Kirigakure.

"Even so, it's still a students task to follow the wishes of their master… Utakata-sama, you don't understand how I feel." Hotaru said angrily at first but ended up softly.

"Hotaru-sama, Utakata-dono may be right… It seems as though our clan no longer has the strength to protect the forbidden jutsu. If we allow it to fall in the wrong hands, En no Gyouja-sama would most likely turn in his grave. It seems the only way to avoid misuse of the jutsu is to destroy it." Tonbei said sadly with reluctance.

"Destroy it? How would you do that? But the forbidden jutsu is in Hotaru's body, isn't it? Don't tell me…" Naruto said.

"Don't be mistaken." Tonbei said to Naruto and he made a scroll appear and Naruto mover to pick it up. "It is a scroll entrusted to me by En no Gyouja-sama. It contains a method on how to extract the forbidden jutsu from Hotaru's body. He wouldn't have engraved the jutsu into Hotaru's body if there wasn't a way to remove it. Is there really someone who could do such a thing. Please forgive me, I should've told you sooner. Once it's removed from her body, it will loose all of its power. I also want the rise of the clan again but once the jutsu vanishes, so will that dream. Still, that's fine by me. People from Konoha, would you please aid me in removing the jutsu from Hotaru-sama's body?" Tonbei asked. Hotaru reacted in outrage but Utakata stood up and slapped her to get her to think properly. Hotaru ran out and Naruto followed her.

"I'll go and persuade her." Utakata said, moving to follow her.

"Hold it right there. If you're moving out then…" Yamato asked him but he said he just wanted to help her and Yamato agreed and sent Sakura and Sonea with him.

"Utakata… I have been looking for you for a long time." Sonea said to him and he looked at her suspiciously.

"Why is that? I don't even know you." He said calmly.

"That is true but I know the bijuu inside of you." Sonea said calmly and he turned on her with shock. "I just want to warn you, what you do afterwards is up to you. An organisation named Akatsuki is after your bijuu and will kill you for it, you're next on their list so look after yourself and consider returning to Kirigakure." Sonea said calmly as they continued on.

"You don't know why I don't want to go back…"

"I do and I've already spoken to Mizukage Mei… She just wants you back to protect the world and you from Akatsuki. Your sensei was under an impression and shouldn't have done what he tried to do to you so at least consider it." Sonea finished as Sakura caught up to them as they found Naruto and Hotaru. Utakata convinced her that her clan shouldn't have to rely on such a power and rise again on their own will and not on sadness that such a powerful technique could bring and asked Naruto if he was wrong, obviously knowing Naruto also had a bijuu sealed within him. Hotaru mentioned an old fellow student of her grandfathers that could possibly take care of the technique for her named Shiranami. Naruto took it upon himself to find him for Hotaru and went off with one of Sonea's wolves tagging along secretly to watch him just in case.

They returned back to the house and prepared to unseal the technique just in case the thieves came back and Naruto failed and they began the preparations. Sonea watched from a tree she was resting on and saw conflict within Utakata's eyes as he blew a bubble and floated away, he needed to think about everything and she let him be, knowing the hunter nins from Kiri would watch over him. She began dropping rocks down the ravine around the mountain when her wolf tapped into her subconscious and the Kyuubi chakra flared slightly. She was immediately summoned by Bolt who was watching Naruto when Utakata showed up and took out the four thieves while she checked on Naruto.

"I heard that conversation you just had. So that Shiranami guy is the one running the show? Where the hell did you take Hotaru?!" Utakata yelled at them and let the Rokubi's chakra loose with his rage and Sonea gritted her teeth in pain as the Jyuubi struggled.

"Utakata, calm down Dammit!" Sonea yelled at him and he did calm himself and hopped over to her and Naruto as she was trying to wake him up. "Thank you, now, let's wake Naruto and track them, they'll lead us straight to Hotaru and please try not to use that power around me, it hurts like hell." Sonea explained as Naruto regained consciousness and they chased after the thieves.

"Just another broken branch…" Naruto sighed, looking at a twig. "Instead of searching around like this wouldn't it be better if I used my multiple shadow clone jutsu to search the area?" Naruto asked.

"Do you want to risk destroying any traces of Hotaru by doing that?" Utakata said rhetorically. "This way. To search for traces that have been left behind is the most basic thing for a ninja to know. For being someone who's always bragging about their masters, neither you nor Hotaru seem to have paid any attention to them. Geez. See, this is what happens when you're obsessed with something so stupid as masters." Utakata stated and went off after finding a trace. Sonea was trying not to laugh as Naruto tried to defend Jiraiya.

They followed the tracks to Tsuchigumo village and Naruto explained that the thieves and how the village reacted to her homecoming first attacked Hotaru there. They agreed to be careful in the village as the tracks were too easy to follow as they moved into the village. Utakata covered them with a bubble when a paper bomb attacked them. They recovered to come face to face with the villagers being manipulated by a puppet like technique. The three of them began running and dodging the villagers as they attacked, not wanting to harm them and they were being pushed up against a rock and a hard place. Things got worse as the four thieves showed up but Sai, Yamato and Sakura showed up after she sent Bolt back to report to them and a wall was crated between them and the villagers.

The dodged a lightning based jutsu but it blew a hole through the wall, allowing the manipulated villagers through and they threw paper bombs again. Yamato covered them with his wood release and Utakata covered Naruto and him with his bubble technique. Utakata and Naruto took off to save Hotaru while the rest stayed to stop the villagers. There was no choice as Sonea opened her locket and concentrated on natural chakra so she could chain the villagers down carefully one by one. Her power began to waver as she felt a massive amount of natural chakra being drawn to one place and she had to fall back as she relied on natural chakra to keep her seal in place and concentrated on her seal rather than restraining the villagers. They had knocked them unconscious and Yamato placed them into a prison as they turned to face the four thieves.

"Man, what a kill joy." One of them said. "But this is as far as you go."

"That's suppose to be my line." Yamato said. "Oh boy. I'm growing tired of this." He said as a shuriken ripped through the cage. Sonea felt the Rokubi and Kyuubi chakra fire up but then reseed again as a large explosion was seen in the distance on a tower. Noticing the three thieves distracted, they replaced themselves and took out the thieves at the right time and they were down to two people. There was a larger amount of natural chakra being drawn and Sonea fell to the strain of the natural chakra was being drawn out of the air. Her seal felt like it was ripping at her skin as it began to break and fall apart when an explosion was seen again and the Rokubi was seen and disappeared again.

Sonea drew in natural chakra quickly and held the Jyuubi down as more chains appeared around her seal and turned to black as it settled down on the Jyuubi and the seal. The villagers were back to normal and the rest of the thieves were arrested. Utakata took Hotaru as his student and Sonea gave him one last warning before they returned to Konoha with news that the forbidden jutsu was destroyed.

It was impossible for the locket not to be open now as she drew in nearly ten times more natural chakra to hold what was left of her seal. The report to Tsunade was quick and easy and they were given a few days to rest and recover. Sonea tried to walk out before Tsunade grabbed her wrist and Shizune closed the door. Sonea kept her head lowered and didn't dare to turn around.

"You're using the locket." Tsunade said and Sonea's head fell down more as her hair moved to cover her face and she turned around to Tsunade. "What happened on that mission that caused you to break this far so easily?"

"Not only did I come across the Rokubi jinchuuriki but that forbidden jutsu used natural chakra for the jutsu. At one point, it was drawing in so much, it left barely anything in the air for a while and I started to loose my demon mode and my seal nearly and completely broke. Luckily the natural chakra came back and the locket was already open and I managed to place some chains in time to hold it… I request to be in solitary confinement for a few days Hokage-sama." Sonea looked into Tsunade's eyes seriously. Tsunade flinched at the seriousness in her voice, as it didn't match her eyes. Her eyes showed fear, a type of fear that was so strong she became scared by it too. She looked away as her worst fears came back to her and even then it wasn't strong enough to compare.

"Tch, fine, you may have one of the confinement chambers in the basement of the tower until you feel ready or I need you." Tsunade said, letting go of her hand as she moved to the chamber. "Shizune place ANBU guards on her chamber, no one but me and her circle sees her… Not even Kakashi. He is not to find out." Tsunade ordered Shizune who complied right away. Tsunade sat in her chair hard and began to shake with the fear she had seen in her eyes, it was fear she had only ever seen on tortured shinobi who had forgotten their identities or worse from their situations but stronger in a sense it would cause anyone to go into a flat panic like she was doing at that moment. She took out her secret stash of Sake and began to drink straight from the bottle.

Sonea stepped into the cold underground and sealed the heavy metal door with finality. There was one light bulb to give her some light as she sat in the centre of the cell and moved into meditation. She entered her mindscape that looked like Itachi's tsukiyomi and found what she was looking for. She had never had to visit the Jyuubi in her mindscape before but she needed to do something about her predicament. She found the room she was looking for and came face to eye with the Jyuubi, which roared in her face and struggled before Sonea placed a chain across it's head. She examined the pegs of the seal that were left and the chains and began to add and rearrange her chains. She even created a cage with her iron in her blood (Somehow? Saying she was in her mindscape) And continued to sort the arrangement around as the Jyuubi continued to screech and cry as the chains bit into it and sizzle. It was absorbing more of it's own chakra now which explained why it was getting harder to control and even placed chains and a cage and raised it higher away from the Jyuubi.

This jolted her out of her mindscape with pain and wake up from meditation and scream through gritted teeth at the pain and tears formed at her eyes as she clutched to herself bruisingly hard as she took shallow and fast breaths. She would have thrown up if there was anything in her stomach but she stayed still until the pain eased and she could vaguely hear a voice and a person leaning over her. It was Fall who had come in and was rubbing her back soothingly and whispering to her. Sonea gave her a weak smile, as the ice-cold concrete floor was heaven against her hot and sweaty body from the pain.

Fall helped her to walk to one of the showers they had in the tower and even brought her black loose long sleeve top and flared pants as she was told that Tsunade wanted to see her immediately. Fall told her she was in there for five days and Kakashi was going crazy not getting any answers from anyone. Sonea looked into the mirror and she looked like shit. She had two full ripples now with the third already having one tomoe in each eye. She had lost some weight but knew she would put it back on quickly and her eyes fell to the bruise-like rings under her eyes and she sighed and Fall came over with some make-up and Sonea smiled her appreciation.

She walked to Tsunade's office and noticed the toads right away then Sakura and Sai in their normal clothes. Sonea nodded her respect to the toads that were weary of her as she moved to sit on the first window's sill and waited. Naruto and Kakashi arrived in a while later.

"So he is Jiraiya-chan's student?" The green frog with a brown cloak on asked.

"Yes… This is Uzumaki Naruto. The 'child of prophesy' that you mentioned." Tsunade answered him.

"A geezer frog? What the hell?" Naruto said, not impressed.

"Hey! Watch your mouth Naruto!" Tsunade warned. "This is Fukasaku-sama, one of the two great sages of Mount Myoboku. He came all the way here to speak with you."

"Well, to be more accurate, I am a great toad sage. But never mind that. You are without a doubt Jiraiya-chan's student." Fukasaku said.

"Jiraiya-chan? Chan? You talk as though Ero-Sennin is a kid. Who does this geezer frog think he is?!" Naruto accused.

"I said to watch your mouth!" Tsunade warned him again.

"This great man is the one who taught Sage jutsu to Jiraiya-sama. He is Jiraiya-sama's master." Shizune explained. Fukasaku laughed.

"Ero-Sennin huh? What a fitting nickname for Jiraiya-chan." The toad said.

"So what does this Sage-jiji want with me?" Naruto asked, a bit calmer.

"I'm not sure where to start. But let's see…I suppose the most important thing is… Jiraiya-chan has died in battle." He said sadly. Naruto's face dropped, Sonea was shocked at the news as her tired eyes became widened.

"Wh… What are you talking about?" Naruto asked with disbelief.

"I know this is sudden. I don't blame you if you don't believe me. For quite some time there were rumours that the leader of Akatsuki was in the Amegakure. Jiraya-chan went in person to verify the truth of these rumours." Fukasaku said to Naruto.

"The leader of Akatsuki in Amegakure?" Sakura said astonished.

"As I recall, Ame is difficult to infiltrate. A village closed to the outside world." Sai said. Kakashi nodded.

"Yes, however Jiraiya-sama was very skilled in infiltration and espionage tactics." Kakashi said.

"Exactly… Jiraiya-chan came upon the leader of Akatsuki… 'Pain.' However, Pain was Jiraiya-chan's former student." Fukasaku said with restrained emotion. "He called him 'Nagato'."

"That goes way back… During the chaos of the Great Ninja War, Jiraiya took care of some orphans of Amegakure, which had become a battlefield. Who would have imagined those kids…" Tsunade said, unable to carry on. Naruto had turned back to the conversation and so had Kakashi.

"However…To corner a ninja like Jiraiya-sama… How did this Pain?" Kakashi asked in a defensive position.

"He possessed the rinnegan." Fukasaku said and all eyes widened. "A dojutsu beyond any imagination. Not only that but there were six of them."

"How can that even be possible?" Kakashi said with astonishment.

"Perhaps there is a trick to it. Most likely, only Jiraiya-chan was there, discovered their secrets. But his throat was crushed before he could relay the message. He left this coded message behind. I wonder what he wanted to say…" Fukasaku said as he removed his cloak to reveal the code burned into his skin.

"If we decode this, we'll understand, won't we?" Tsunade asked him.

"Did you… let him go baa-chan?" Naruto asked with sadness. Tsunade closed her eyes and opened them to steady her gaze against Naruto's and confirmed it. "Why'd you allow such a reckless thing? You knew Ero-Sennin better than anyone! How could you send him to such a place alone?!" Naruto yelled at her until Kakashi stopped him.

"Enough Naruto. You of all people ought to know Hokage-sama's feelings " Kakashi reminded him. He clenched his fists and left the room.

"If Ero-Sennin had been the Gondaime Hokage… He wouldn't have let Tsunade obaa-chan take such risks… Never!" Naruto growled out as he left.

"My apologises Fukasaku-sama. I'll arrange for Naruto to…" Kakashi began.

"No, that's alright. About the child of prophecy I mentioned earlier… I can see that child truly loved and admired Jiraiya-chan. I can't help but hope that he is the Child of Prophecy… Tsunade-chan… Tsunade-chan!" Fukasaku called and Tsunade snapped out of it.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry." Tsunade said.

"You just received some sad news. I don't blame you for being distraught. However, you have an important duty of protecting the village. This is where you must stay strong… Anyway, the clues left by Jiraiya-chan, there is something besides the hidden message on my back. An Ame nin captured by him is inside his belly. And one more thing, inside this fellows belly is one of Pain's bodies he managed to kill." Fukasaku informed Tsunade who acted immediately after dismissing Kakashi, Sai and Sonea.

**A/N: Okay! This is where i actually start to like how this story goes, i just found the beginning of Shippuden so hard to write! A warning though, up ahead there are recent manga chapter spoilers up to... 600 i think? Forgive me if I'm wrong but this is fanfiction :D i hope you're enjoying so far please R&R **


	17. Chapter 17

They had all gone their separate ways after being dismissed and at that moment, Sonea was sitting on Sarutobi's head on the mountain and watching the village pass by, unaware. She sighed and placed her hand against the head with care as she sat.

"It seems two of your students have fallen the same way you did. Orochimaru to Sasuke and Jiraiya to Nagato but there's hope for Tsunade not to go the same way." Sonea said to the head. She sat there for a while longer then patted the stone head and got up and left with a shimmer to the seventh training ground and sure enough, she found Kakashi staring at the memorial stone. She walked up to him silently and wrapped her arms around his stiff frame as it shuddered and shook with grief but not one sound or tear was let out. He turned in her embrace and hid his face in her neck as she shimmered him home and she sat with him on his bed like that until he fell asleep in the evening. She removed his flak jacket, hitai-ate and pants and lay him to sleep in his bed.

She shimmered to the corridor leading from Tsunade's office and leaned against it on one shoulder until she saw Tsunade walking numbly. She stepped into her path and pulled her into a hug and let her fall against the wall and cry. She managed to get her to walk to her home and let her cry the same way as she did with Kakashi until she also fell asleep. She removed her coat and shoes and lay her down in her bed. She left her house, following the Kyuubi's chakra signature and found Naruto asleep on a park bench, clutching onto a two-person ice cream. His eyes had rings under them and his face was red from crying. She picked him up and carried him home, lay him on his bed and washed his hand with a warm cloth to clean the melted ice cream. She looked down at him with sad eyes and felt like she wasn't suffering enough as she got angry and left for the training ground before her killer intent could wake Naruto. She created some shadow clones and began a killer game to ease her anger. When she was good and bloody she sat in Kakashi's apartment at his desk and watched him sleep which calmed her considerably.

He woke up at his usual time and felt her presence as he threw a kunai that she allowed to slice across her face as she barely dodged it and it embedded itself into the wall. Kakashi stared wide-eyed and Sonea studied him with tired eyes, still in the same position from dodging.

"Feel better now?" She asked calmly as she pulled the kunai out from behind her and tossed it onto Kakashi's bed.

"Where have you been? Yamato and them returned a week ago and they all said you came home too but no one would tell me where you were until you appeared in Tsunade's office yesterday." Kakashi asked as he sat up in bed and studied Sonea carefully. She was way to calm and why did she look like that?

"I put myself into isolation when we returned and sorted out my seal as it nearly completely broke on that mission if it wasn't for my quick thinking and my locket. I am holding the Jyuubi alone now and so I need to stay focused… I did a bit of training last night." She said when Kakashi looked at her clothes questioningly. "How are you doing?" She asked, looking at her wringing hands to get them warm.

"I'm fine but what about you?" He questioned her. He stood up and walked over to her and raised her head by her chin to look at him. His eyes widened and he gasped in shock when he noticed the seven tomoes and Sonea smiled which Kakashi found odd.

"I'll be fine… I just have to be careful and don't worry, I didn't even notice the tomoes either until I left my isolation. Now, I would like a nice warm shower with the man I love and a big breakfast with him… My treat." She said, standing up and leading him to the bathroom.

They left the café and were walking past the decoding department and they both turned into it and Found Shikamaru and Naruto discussing the code when Kakashi had a bright idea and pulled out his Icha Icha Tactics.

"This is probably the book you're looking for." Kakashi said, sticking his head around the open window. "I was dropping by here out of concern and heard your voices coming from here. I think I heard most of what was said. This is the book you're looking for." Kakashi said, waving his book.

"Icha Icha Tactics! That's right! That's the erotic novel he was writing while travelling." Naruto said excitedly.

"So that's it. It's something only Naruto would have known. He really did leave the secret code for you after all." Shikamaru said.

"The letter 'ta' in the code… This is the only book by Jiraiya-sama that starts with 'ta'." Kakashi deduced.

"Now that we've found the use of the letter in the code, it might be the letter or line orders, but the normal strategy is to first look at page numbers. Now let's examine the numbers separated by commas; 31, 8, 106, 207, 15. Six pages in total. First would be page thirty-one. Please open that page." The girl in the department asked and Kakashi did it as Sonea stood behind him to watch the amusing show.

"Where do we look?" Kakashi asked.

"In a situation we should start by simply looking at the first words. Please read out the first sentence from the top of that page." She asked. Kakashi began to freak out and Sonea was holding in her laughter as she read over his shoulder.

"Wait um…" Kakashi hesitated and began to blush like he did when they were in the shower together and Sonea was nearly laughing.

"What?! Just hurry up and read it for us!" Naruto ordered. "Hurry the hell up!" Kakashi began to turn completely red and was sweating badly.

"Th-th-the truth is… that you l-love me then?" Kakashi stuttered. Kakashi was burning and so embarrassed and Sonea was rolling on the floor with tears running from her eyes and clutching at her stomach because it hurt so much. They forced him onto the next page and Sonea grabbed the book from him and pushed him out of the way.

"Page eight reads ' real bartering like.' Page one zero six reads 'one leaf is in the way.' Page seven reads 'Is it that big? I'm surprised.' Page two zero seven reads 'not possible.' And page fifteen reads 'There, the chair squeaked as they… You don't need to know the rest." Sonea said as she started the sentence and blushed twice, page seven and fifteen. She handed the book back to Kakashi with a hard blush and looked away from him.

"Alright, that should cover all six pages. If you read the first word of every page it reads 'The real one is not there.'" The girl said.

"We'll contact Fukasaku-sama from this point on. As someone who fought Pain, he may have an idea." Kakashi said, recovered from previous events.

"I'll get the Gondaime to summon him right away." Shikamaru said. They left with Shio to Tsunade who summoned Fukasaku and read the decoded message.

"How about it? Does it make any sense to you?" Naruto asked the toad.

"I ain't sure, it's to vague. I've told you all I know about Pain. He can bring himself back from death. Though that's only speculation. Fightin' him now would be dangerous. First, we need to unlock his mystery." Fukasaku said.

"Do we have any other Intel on him? Anything from the autopsy or interrogation?" Kakashi asked but there wasn't anything and it would take at least a week.

"So what's our coarse of action Gondaime?" Shikamaru asked.

"Shizune's handling the autopsy. She'll most likely be quicker than usual but we still have to wait." Tsunade explained and Naruto wanted to tell them to hurry up and said he would avenge Jiraiya.

"But Naruto-chan now that message has been decoded you don't have any responsibility. No matter what there's no way you could defeat Pain right now. If you fought Pain as you are now you would die a meaningless death. I'm glad I was summoned here, I was already thinking of coming to fetch you Naruto-chan. Well what will it be? Will you allow me to teach you senjutsu?" Fukasaku asked Naruto and Sonea started to grin.

"Is senjutsu that amazing?" Naruto asked.

"It is… How do you think I'm still living? I use senjutsu and if you learn it, you could be on par and maybe stronger than me or your master was." Sonea said with a reassuring smile.

"No one, and I don't even think Sonea could defeat Pain right now, no one in the village can." Tsunade said and Naruto accepted to train with Fukasaku at Mount Myoboku and left to get ready as did Shikamaru and Shio.

"Fukasaku-sama… May I speak with you?" Sonea asked him. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Who are you?" He asked suspiciously.

"My name is Sonea Storm Shadow. You can obviously tell I carry something dark and that I use senjutsu as well." Sonea explained seriously.

"Yes, I can tell that. Where did you learn senjutsu may I ask, I've never seen this type of senjutsu before." He asked still with suspicion but also curiosity.

"Demonic senjutsu is my clans specialty but this is not what I want to talk with you about." Sonea said before explaining her situation and the toad ended up with impossibly wide eyes. "Please take care of Naruto Fukasaku-sama." She said, bowing to the toad sage. She gave him one last smile before leaving with Kakashi.

'_They Jyuubi stood before the Rikudo Sennin and he stared back at it, his rinnegan blazing as he watched the beast. It charged at him but was blasted back some how… any ninjutsu was absorbed and used back on the beast, he hadn't moved from his spot… It felt like watching a movie in slow motion, knowing what's coming but not being able to do anything… The room turned black as a pair of purple rippling eyes opened and blazed at her.'_

"Sensei!" Sonea sat straight up in bed, shouting for someone who had been dead for centuries. Her breathing was uneven and she was coated in a cold sweat even though she was sizzling hot and her throat unbelievably dry. She wanted to pass out or fall over from dizziness or throw up, she didn't know how she was feeling. She decided to get her breathing under control as Kakashi rubbed her back in soothing circles, once it was normal enough she finally decided she needed to throw up and ran to the bathroom to kneel by the toilet. Her stomach emptied itself but she continued to wretch as stomach acid came up and burned her throat. She leaned away from the toilet, still threatening to throw up as she leaned against the blissfully cold wall. She felt a cold cloth against her forehead and a cup to her lips and she drank down the blissful water to sooth her burning raw throat. She was still breathing quite hard and had her eyes closed as Kakashi pulled her to him and held her as he situated her between his legs so she could lean against his chest and he began to run his hand through the sweat slick hair on her hot head and hum soothingly to her and she relaxed against him.

"Better now?" He asked gently and she nodded tiredly. "Everything is going to be alright now… Let's go back to bed love." Kakashi said as he moved her to bridal style and stood up with her and carried her back to his bed and she fell asleep in his arms once again.

She sat on top of her tower the next day and plucked at her fishnet sleeves mindlessly and then moved to the hem of her shorts on her middle thigh and kunai pouches on both legs. That dream reminded her of the rinnegan's abilities and they had frightened her so badly the night before. She knew that she couldn't get caught by Pain unless she wanted to end the world right there and be killed but she couldn't allow the leader to get away with what he had done to her and her friends. The rinnegan flashed before her eyes and in the next moment she saw explosions throughout the village… Pain had arrived. She watched the shear destruction within a couple of minutes and watched as large summonings began to invade the city. A strange sense of calm and heartlessness washed over her as she turned into Jyuubi mode and fell off her tower gracefully to take to the skies. She located six orange haired people with black rods embedded in their bodies and their different abilities and also came across a blue haired woman who worked with paper. She filed it all away before finding a rhino summoning.

She used an earth jutsu to weight her down substantially as she kicked its head into the ground before moving off again, the least she could do was keep them occupied and slow them down for the people to escape. She used some lightning jutsus to catch the attention of the bird summons as it began to chase her at an incredible speed. She took it low into the village and flew at a high speed straight for a wall and at the last second pulled up. The bird crashed into it but came up behind her again when she noticed the dog creature being attacked by ANBU. She couldn't keep up, there were at least ten giant summonings and nothing was working, she decided to use her follower and began towards the buffalo summons but it dodged the bird and still had some sense to try to attack her, this was the secret to the rinnegan, they could see everything the others could and told Fall to report it to Tsunade. As long as she had that bird on her tail, watching her every move she couldn't attack another summons without it hurting her and avoiding her attack anyway. Any high-powered jutsu's would take to long to prepare… She was screwed.

She saw the summons disappeared as a sense of doom washed over her. She landed and began running when she came across something that broke her heart and will… Kakashi was dead. She stumbled numbly over to him and gently pulled his cold and lifeless body from the ground and clutched him tightly to her with disbelief and didn't notice the whole village being blown away but she clutched to the corpse tighter as she was flung backwards.

Sonea woke up to pain shooting up her right arm and wing as they fell limply to her side and Katsuyu moved to repair it right away. She pulled her left leg up and placed her elbow against her thigh to rest her head against her hand and cry for her lost love.

"Kaka-sensei… The last mission…that you gave… to me… Has been successfully completed Sensei." Choji said through his tears to Kakashi who looked so peaceful. Sonea gritted her teeth and trembled with loss and anger and could feel Naruto's anger as he took on Pain in sage mode. Her right arm and wing was crushed badly and it would take multiple operations to get them together or a lot of chakra on her part and she just didn't have it right then.

"Katsuyu, how much can you repair right now?" Sonea asked her, switching her personalities again.

"I don't have enough chakra to heal the muscles after the bone. Naruto-kun has asked that everyone stay out of this fight as he cannot protect them while fighting Pain." Katsuyu informed her.

"Okay… I know you will completely disagree with me right now but I need my bones back together enough to hold out for a while and my body will heal the rest and I need my muscles ASAP." Sonea asked her and she understood, knowing Sonea's body well enough from healing it so far. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the battle. Naruto had taken out two of them so far then he took out one more when he regained sage mode but the last one was causing problems with his almighty push. Fukasaku's presence suddenly disappeared as did Naruto's sage mode and Sonea became desperate.

"How much longer Katsuyu?" Sonea questioned with urgency.

"Your bones have structural integrity now." She notified her. Sonea got up and ran for Sakura who was on the other side of the crater as Katsuyu carried on rebuilding her bones.

"Choji… Look after Kakashi for me." Sonea said with a sad smile at him and he took it with a respectful salute as she began to run full speed around the crater. "Sakura, I don't have time to explain but right now I need you to heal my muscles so I can use them again and I mean now… If he looses it here, Yamato's not here to stop him and I can't go up against Pain and the Kyuubi so get healing." Sonea ordered desperately as she jumped down and Sakura complied immediately. Sonea watched as Hinata got thrown around, trying to help Naruto but ended up with one of his chakra rods right through her and the Kyuubi took over to level two, bones and all.

"Sakura!" Sonea yelled at her with strain and panic as she watched the Kyuubi versus pain.

"I'm nearly done just a few more minutes and you can go." Sakura shouted right back as her chakra intensified. Pain took off out of the village with Naruto close behind and Sakura was finally done as she took off after them. She watched up ahead as a miniature planet was created and the eighth tail appeared… She was too late.

A flare of chakra was felt and Sonea stared up with disbelief… It was Minato's chakra and there stood Naruto, looking down at Pain back in sage mode, there had been a fail safe in his seal. Naruto took out the last body and located the last one as Sonea joined up with him.

"I'm going to Pain's real body… Please stay here Sonea." Naruto asked her and she knocked him on the head gently.

"Oh hell no! I've nearly lost you once today and someone important to me and besides you know Akatsuki travels in two's so I'm coming with you come hell or high water." Sonea said as she walked with Naruto and came across a tree where Nagato and Konan were.

Nagato told Naruto his story of suffering in exchange to an answer of how Naruto planned to obtain peace in the cursed world of the shinobi and Naruto said he would never give up and to have the guts to stand up and withstand every ones hatred and pain and he was content with this answer and entrusted Naruto to find peace for him as he gave his life to bring back those he had killed during his invasion. Konan left with their bodies and wished Naruto luck as she left. Sonea carried half of Naruto's weight back as they were both exhausted and sore.

"Naruto, you continue to amaze me. May I ask you what happened, why did you turn back to normal when it seemed inevitable that the Kyuubi would escape." Sonea asked him and he laughed lightly with happiness and Sonea smiled at the sound.

"I met my dad… The Yondaime Hokage." He said with a smile.

"And I hope he was everything you could have wished for in a father Naruto, I'm happy you got that opportunity… You're getting heavy… I don't know how much further I could carry you." Sonea said as she stumbled and they began to fall but Kakashi and Storm appeared.

"You did great. Just rest on me." Kakashi said to him and looked at Sonea lovingly before moving off with Naruto. Sonea smiled as she watched them walk away.

"Storm… " She said a little breathless as he looked down at her. "I want to see Naruto and the village then take me to the centre of the crater… I've got a few things I need to do before I can rest." Sonea said, looking towards where the village sat. Storm picked her up and put her onto his back carefully as she put her wings away for now as she was still in Jyuubi chakra mode.

Every step Storm took jostled her healing bones as he walked towards the cheering and stopped in the line of trees to Kakashi's left. People were gathered around Naruto and throwing him up in the air and she could see Iruka off in the distance crying and grinning at the same time, standing with Konohamaru. She nodded against Storms shoulder as she gritted her teeth and rested her forehead against his shoulder as he jumped down the Hokage's mountain and ran as smoothly as possible to the centre of the crater and set her onto her feet with a lot of support. She took a lot of deep breaths and focused her chakra she had left as she formed hand seals.

"Summoning Jutsu." She said out in a whisper as she bent down with Storm and a large seal appeared and in a poof stood many different sized and shaped dragons with Sora at the head looking down at Sonea with concern. "Welcome to Konoha again." Sonea said with a dead sarcasm as Sora looked around.

"What the hell happened here?" He asked.

"The power of a rinnegan wielder that's what… Would you guys mind helping with the clearing of the rubble and building the village up… We're kinda in dire straits right now." Sonea asked with a forced sheepish smile, still heavily leaning on Storm.

"It will be no problem old friend, we will stay and help for as long as we are needed, I know how much this village means to you." Sora said, nodding to his companions who nodded back seriously and set out to help start to move the rubble, as it seemed the celebrations were over.

**A/N: Yay 17 done and dusted! I really found the fist few chapters had to write but i hope it'll flow better from here R&R :)**


	18. Chapter 18

Ninja had gathered around and began to clean through the rubble with the dragon's help. Sonea sat tiredly on Storm's wolf form now as Sora used a transformation jutsu into a smaller size of himself and sat across Storm's neck in the centre of the crater as Sonea listened to the reports she was getting in from the rest of her circle.

Tsunade was in a coma after giving Katsuyu all of her chakra to save everyone from the blast Pain set off. There were many injured people. Her club was still standing and in one piece surprisingly, just blocked off by rubble.

"Sora, you see the tower over there that's slightly different to the rest?" Sonea said, pointing towards her tower and Sora nodded, lifting his head from her lap. "I need the entrance way clearing safely and quickly. Can you do that for me?" Sonea asked and he hopped off of Storm and in a huge puff of smoke, he was his two stories high self again and walked over to her tower and began clawing at the rubble to remove it.

"What the hell happened here and where is Naruto?" Yamato asked, running up to her in a flat panic as he looked over her current state.

"Pain from Akatsuki attacked…" Sonea mused tiredly with a yawn.

"And Naruto?" He asked, getting more panicked by the second.

"His seal broke, activating a fail safe in his seal… It's fixed again and he took out Pain and saved everyone… Your skills will come in handy to fix Konoha back up." Sonea said, lying down on Storm's back carefully.

"You should be in the hospital in your state." Yamato said, looking her over.

"I should but I have too much to do right now… Plus there wouldn't have been anything you could have done here anyway, Naruto smashed the necklace." Sonea said sadly, looking out over the rubble being moved.

"Right." Yamato said, a little disheartened. "What do you need me to do?" He asked.

"Round up the able and moving jonin and get separate teams together, all ninja must be called back and missions put on hold for now, getting our village back up and running is top priority right now… Report back to me as soon as this is completed." Sonea instructed, sitting up again and Yamato saluted and ran off to complete her request.

"Who put you in charge?" A familiar old voice asked with annoyance as Sonea dropped her head back with a groan and Storm turned them around to face the elders.

"Head of ANBU takes charge after the Hokage… We both know this rule." Sonea said with venom dripping in her voice. "Besides, I'm the only one with the power right now to hold this village together and that is what everyone needs… Stability."

"Yes I completely agree with you." Danzo said, walking up with his ANBU and Sonea stiffened up with a slight wince. "But then again… Who put you in charge, there are probably weaker shinobi around right now who could finish you in the state you are."

"I would protect this village to my dying breath because I believe in the Will of Fire and right now it's burning bright." Sonea stated with a slight snarl and slight anger flashed across Danzo's eyes.

"Why not leave this task up to the council for now since you're so hurt?" Koharu asked, trying the nice guy way.

"Because, by the time the council finally decides on something it could have been done. We can't leave ourselves in such a vunerable position right now and you three know that." Sonea warned and the elders backed down slightly. "Everything I do will be reported to you just like if there was a Hokage, we can't have underhanded deals slipping by right now in our weakened state. You don't need to worry about anything right now so go and relax and I'll handle this." Sonea said sweetly with venom as she could see some shinobi ascending on them and the elders left, Danzo a little reluctantly but Sonea knew she knew the running of villages better and she could beat Danzo's logic any day.

"They're really persistent aren't they?" Storm growled out.

"Yeah and then there's Danzo… He'll do anything to get me under his control so you all better be careful." Sonea warned.

"So that's what you meant by underhanded deals…" Storm asked with a wolfy grin back at Sonea who smirked and nodded.

"What did the elders want?" Ino-Shika-Cho seniors came up to Sonea with slight worry on their faces.

"Control." Sonea said as they exchanged worried looks. "Don't worry, they've backed down for now and I have control." Sonea reassured them.

That's what Yamato said… So what do we need doing first?" Inoichi asked, looking around at the progress already being made.

"Clean through the rubble, retrieve any personal items and such and then get rid of what we cannot use… My dragons will do that." Sonea said.

"So these are your little summons, I wondered where they came from." Shikaku mused.

"While we have people cleaning through the rubble, we need all ninja back from missions and then put on hold for a while unless it is urgent… Get the injured into my club over there and use it as a make shift hospital for now then gather some genins and a few chunin to collect the supplies underground my tower and send them out to people until we can re-establish everything again and running smoothly to start building again." Sonea said, pointing to her tower.

"Have you planned for situations like this?" Choza asked with sarcasm and Sonea smiled.

"Not really but I always keep enough supplies in case something happens in the village… Especially something on such a large scale like this attack happened and so suddenly as well. Can you guys handle everything for me with the other jonin and ninja?" Sonea asked, knowing they worked with Minato and Tsunade trusted them implicitly.

"We can hold down the fort for now but the council always gets what it wants." Shikaku mused, cleaning out his ear with his pinky finger.

"True but there's not much I can do about that in my current state… All I can do is give the village security in such a rough time and hope Tsunade wakes up soon because I don't want to be acting Hokage again like last time." Sonea said with a slight groan and the three men laughed. "Well everything needs to be reported to the council and if they give you a hard time, come and find me, I'll be recovering in the tower's top floor, just find a girl like Ino with pink eyes and a pink streak in her hair or a blue haired and blue eyes young woman and they'll call me down. Thanks for your help and my dragons are at only you disposal but don't try to order that big one around, he's kind of like the Great Dragon Sage so he's in charge and a good friend of mine." Sonea said over her shoulder as Storm began walking away as she waved to the three men.

Storm walked as carefully as possible over to her club and walked in as little dragons flew around everywhere, cleaning it up so it could be used as a temporary hospital now that the entrance had been cleared.

"Set me down and find Sakura and Shizune and tell them about the club and get the dragons to help with transporting the injured here… They should have control of the medics and doctors right now so they should be in one spot behind the mountain." Sonea instructed Storm, sliding off of him carefully and sitting in a booth that was stuffed in a corner with the rest. Storm looked at her worried before taking off again and Sonea took a deep breath carefully as she checked over her wounds in her body. She had fractured ribs and a spinal injury, her right arm was damaged badly, nearly unusable and it shot with pain if she even tried to use it, as well as her right leg had some muscle tears and a fracture to her shin. There was a knock at the club entrance and she looked up tiredly to see Kakashi standing there and studying her carefully with worry.

"Yeah I look like shit I know so stop staring." She said with irritation.

"What the hell happened?" Kakashi asked in barely a whisper as he moved into the club and sat down next to her carefully on her left, examining the damage with his eye.

"Gee I don't know, it shouldn't be so hard to take out eight huge summons with connected eyes to see everywhere and have some giant messed up bird on my tail, TRYING TO EAT ME!" She said out with frustration but also relief that Kakashi was alive and perfectly well and Kakashi chuckled and she smiled tiredly, he seemed so calm and his laughter had lost some of it's strain and sadness. "You're different." She blurted out then tried to cover her mouth with her right arm out of shear habit and curled into herself with pain and she bent over, cradling her arm between her body.

"Don't move." She heard Sakura's voice right in front of her as the pain was being relieved and she straightened up again with slight laboured breathing from the pain.

"Thanks… Sakura." Sonea whispered out in relief as she watched Sakura working on her arm with furrowed brows of concentration.

"It was a dangerous move on your part to take such little healing in the state you were in but I guess you saved Naruto and so I'm grateful." Sakura said, wiping a few tears from her already red rimmed eyes with the back of her arm.

"And in turn Naruto saved everyone else… I'm sorry to hear about Tsunade but I'm sure she'll be up and going soon, she's too stubborn to stay down for long." Sonea said with a sad smile and Sakura laughed a little.

"Are you sure we can use the club as the hospital for now Sonea?" Shizune called from the door as dragons flew in, already carrying patients.

"I'm sure, there's no point in closing a perfectly good structure off when we need it right now plus it's extremely stable and safe structure so we can keep any documents saved down in the safe in the back rooms, all of my wolves have the codes to them so just ask one of them." Sonea said with a smile, glad she could help out a little bit.

"I'll need to put a cast on your whole arm to keep it in place to heal properly, as for your other wounds your body is taking care of them slowly already so some rest is in order but your arm will take a few days." Sakura informed her, standing up and wiping some sweat from her forehead.

"Great. There's some medical supplies through a hidden door to the left over there, it should help until we get supplies in." Sonea said, pointing to a wall with a mural of a battle on it and Sakura headed over to it with Star meeting her there. Sonea leaned back in the seat behind her carefully and sighed a sigh of relief as her bones and muscles began to relax a little as she closed her eyes tiredly.

"You look tired." Kakashi said as he also leaned back and touched his shoulder against hers carefully as comfort as he didn't want to touch her and cause more pain.

"Yeah well I didn't get a three hour dead sleep like you did." She snapped, exhaustion seeping into her voice.

"I'm sorry." He apologised in a low voice and Sonea smiled slightly and laughed silently.

"What in the world are you sorry for… You were doing your duty and saved other people from him, you died as a hero and that's all I could ever ask for." Sonea mused, opening her red eyes to look at him and tell him she wasn't lying. He still felt guilty a little bit but he leaned towards her carefully while pulling down his mask and kissed her, placing his hand gently against her neck tenderly. "I'm just glad you're okay now." Sonea said, resting her forehead against his as he pulled his mask back up before anyone noticed.

"I'm sorry." He muttered again and she laughed as she leaned back into her seat again.

"Whatever your sorry for, just spit it out already because I know you hate keeping things from me." Sonea said, touching his neck with her left hand carefully with some pain.

"I'm sorry for dying…" He whispered out, avoiding her gaze.

"We're shinobi and its in our job description… You died for the right cause Kakashi so you don't need to be sorry besides, it looks like dying has changed you… Like I said earlier, you seem calmer and it makes me happy to see you a little more relaxed." She said, moving her hand up to his jaw and turning his head slightly so he would look at her.

"I… I know this seems weird but I talked to my dad when I died and I forgave him and he explained a lot of things to me… I guess I've been carrying this around in my conscience for a while now and its put my mind at ease." Kakashi said, avoiding her gaze again as he was now turned slightly towards her.

"Well then it's you and Naruto both." Sonea said and Kakashi's gaze snapped to hers with confusion. "Minato built a fail safe into his seal using his chakra so when his seal broke, his chakra would fix it again… I studied a lot into his seal and discovered two faint chakras there, they've always been there looking after and over him even in death. The love of a parent is unrivalled I guess." She said with a sad smile and dropped her hand as Sakura came over with two black braces and fixed them onto her upper arm and forearm.

"You'll be able to move your joint but you shouldn't do any heavy lifting and come and see me in two weeks so I can check it out and maybe take them off depending if they've healed or not." Sakura said making sure she understood before tending to her other patients.

"What happened to your arm anyway?" Kakashi asked, standing up and offering his hand to Sonea who took it gently.

"The blast Pain created, I ended up with it and my wing trapped behind a solid wall of rubble, trapping and crushing them into another wall… I wasn't thinking straight at the time." She said, looking at the ground as they waited for the elevator.

"You found me dead… Didn't you?" Kakashi asked carefully as they stepped into the elevator and Sonea nodded after the doors closed and she was pulled into a gentle hug.

"If you apologise again I'll kill you for real this time." Sonea warned as she felt his intake of breath and opened his mouth to say something and he just chuckled. "You can move in with me for the time being until they've rebuilt everything." Sonea mumbled into his flak jacket as they were still hugging and she squeaked as she was lifted into his arms and carried into her apartment.

"That's a generous offer but you need some rest to heal so I'll be fine in a tent just let me use your shower for warm water… I hate cold baths." He said and she laughed as he put her down gently on the couch.

"Okay but just know the offer will stay open if you want it." She said as he sat down next to her.

"Thank you that is very generous of you love." He said with a chuckle as he wrapped his arm over her shoulders gently and she leaned into him with a yawn. "Sleep, you've used a lot of chakra today." Kakashi chided gently.

"Can't… Jyuubi's struggling I need to keep my control and awake for a while longer, it's being a bitch." She said with another yawn.

"I know multiple ways to keep you awake." Kakashi said with a lewd grin and silent laughter and she flicked his finger.

"I'm in not fit state to do anything that you might be suggesting." Sonea said with a slight pout and a small blush.

"Hey I do have some decency, I'm not a pervert twenty-four seven. I was just thinking we should have a bath since you can't take that brace off so you'll need help plus we worked pretty hard today." Kakashi said with an amused hurt tone and Sonea huffed as she rolled her eyes under her eyelids.

"That's so perverted but you make a lot of sense there… Fine but it better be quick otherwise I might just fall asleep on you." Sonea said sitting up stiffly as Kakashi got up and headed into the bathroom to start a bath for them. Sonea stood up and headed over to the bathroom and appreciated the view of Kakashi wearing just his standard issue jonin pants, no top and no mask. He shut off the water and turned around and Sonea smiled with a blush as he walked up to her and removed her clothes for her, caressing every bruise and healing cut gently before he got rid of his pants and stepped into the water and sat down, motioning for Sonea to join him. She got in and sat between his legs and rested her head against his chest as he brought water up and let it run over her carefully. Her spine cracked a few times as the muscles released and shifted back into place and she sighed a little, resting her cast on the rim of the bath.

"Don't fall asleep on me." He warned light heartedly as he ran water through her hair as well, wetting it so he could wash it.

"I just might… Best idea you've ever had." She mumbled, shifting closer into his chest letting her head lull to the side a little. She hummed in appreciation as he massaged the shampoo into her hair and ran the soap across the rest of her body tenderly before rinsing it all off and she sat there enjoying the water while Kakashi cleaned himself up quickly and let the water out as she leaned against him again, just about to fall asleep. He picked her up into a towel and dried her off as he carried her to bed and pulled on an old shirt and pants, tucking her into bed before getting dressed.

"Sleep and rest well love." He whispered, kissing her forehead as she hummed and turned towards him and he left with a suishin to help out with the village as Sonea had done enough already for the time being.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter nineteen: Five Kage Summit Arc**

She could feel the extreme strain her body was taking with the natural chakra as she woke up after a full days sleep and arguing with the Jyuubi a little as well as she sat up carefully and examined herself. There was very little progress on her healing so she got dressed and headed down stairs to see one of the medics if they had time and ended up visiting Shikamaru who had a broken ankle and Hinata who got hurt fighting Pain, trying to save Naruto as well as cheering some civilians up as well until the strain got a bit much and she headed back up into her apartment to rest some more.

It was a routine that built up over a few days and Kakashi came to visit sometimes with Naruto and the other rookies and such… Even Anko came by and Sonea tried to jump out of her window but Kakashi stooped her with Anko's snakes help and Sonea shivered at the thought as she stood in the elevator heading back up to her apartment. Missions were getting back on track again and her dragons retuned home as building had started up in the centre of the crater with Yamato's help.

She tensed as the doors to her apartment opened and she sensed five different chakra signatures in her apartment as she took out a kunai from her pouch and crept in silently. How the hell do people keep getting in? She recognised the mask before as one of them turned on her and tried to restrain her but she fought back as the others joined in until her broken arm was caught and she screamed out in pain as she fell to her knees, dropping the kunai as they restrained her arms behind her back uncomfortably and thrown over one of their shoulders as they suishinned out.

She shut her eyes as her knees impacted with the hard ground and a foot to her shoulder blades forced her to bow her forehead into the dirt but she gritted her teeth and refused to cry out as she knew who was doing this… Danzo and ANBU ROOT.

"There's my beautiful weapon… Jyuubi." Danzo's voice said with pride and victory to his voice.

"What the hell do you want bastard?" Sonea ground out as she turned her head to look up at him, anger flashing through her red eyes.

"Now is that any way to speak to your Rokudaime Hokage Sonea Storm Shadow?" He asked with pure venom in his voice.

"It is when it comes to you." She spat out and was slapped across her face after being roughly pulled by her arms to kneel up right again and she turned her head back to glare at him. "Go to hell Shimura Danzo, I'm sure you could easily rule there."

"I'm sure I could but I'm not finished here yet. You WILL be escorting me to the Five Kage Summit with one of my personal guards and you'll do what I say, do I make myself clear or face treason charges." Danzo warned, pacing in front of her then stopping to get her answer.

"You can't make me." She said out with a determined look to her face before she was forced by her arms to bend down again and something hot burnt her left wrist as she felt herself being controlled by a seal.

"Oh yes I can, I will just like with all of my other subordinates but this one's a little different you see… I know about your current predicament and how your seal is so close to snapping so you won't have to worry about it and you'll be my trump card to stop Madara once and for all and lead the shinobi world to peace and down the right path… We'll be leaving tomorrow morning and you will be here to escort me with Foo. Dismissed." He said, sitting back in his chair and waved a hand as Sonea was hauled painfully to her feet, suishinned and dragged down the halls of ANBU ROOT still underground Konoha, just deep enough to unfortunately miss Pain's attack.

She was thrown into a room and given a standard ANBU uniform and she sighed as she sat with it on her lap on the uncomfortable bed. Stupid Daimyo for selecting someone who doesn't look physically fit to fight anyone yet alone protect a whole village, stupid her for allowing him to sneak under her radar and take the damn hat. There was a plus to this, at least her seal had stopped hurting and she was healing better now as she lay back on the bed and examined the seal all ROOT members had on their tongues, preventing them from talking about Danzo or ROOT but hers was modified and she could feel that the seal could eventually wear off if Danzo didn't get the chance to replace it on her.

She looked around the standard issue room and knew with this newfound power she could probably escape and get Danzo removed from being Hokage but then her thoughts turned a different way… If she stayed, she could get to the Five Kage's and explain her situation and get Danzo distrusted by all of the Great Nations but she would have to play the game better than Danzo to win over the Kages… She already had Gaara and Mei in the bag but that was two out of six… She thought maybe the Raikage would take her side but she wasn't holding thumbs and anything the Raikage chooses, the Tsuchikage would choose the opposite and side with Danzo… Who knew what Mifune would do since he had complete control over the summit. She was taking a gamble with fate like always but she had to take it as she hung her uniform up and got some sleep to heal properly now that her chakra could flow easily.

She met with her Hokage the next morning and they began silently with a Yamanaka as the second escort to the Summit in the Land of Iron. They arrived there in good time and everyone was seated accordingly as the meeting began.

"I am Mifune, you're moderator. The Five Kage Summit conference is called to order." Mifune, of the samurai's spoke first.

"I shall speak first, hear me out." Gaara asked calmly.

"There's such a difference in Kage's these days. To be a Kage at your age is quite an accomplishment Kazekage-sama. It seems your father trained you well except in the manner of proper etiquette." Ohnoiki the Tsuchikage spoke.

"You're probably right. It is the reason why I can be here as Kazekage." Gaara said coolly and Sonea smirked.

"Tsuchikage-sama there's no need to make fun of him. Continue Kazekage-sama." Mei spoke up.

"I am a former jinchuuriki. I was captured by Akatsuki and they took my bijuu and nearly killed me. So I consider Akatsuki extremely dangerous. I sought the cooperation of the Five Kage's many times but was ignored. Except by the previous Hokage. At a time when various lands have had their jinchuuriki stolen the response by this group had been to slow." Gaara stressed.

"How can the hidden villages of the Five Great Nations serve as an example when they allow their jinchuuriki to be stolen? It is an embarrassment. It is common to resolve this in utmost secrecy. Seeking the help of the lands just because of that is nonsense.." Ohnoki said and Sonea snorted silently and shook her head.

"Saving face… Prestige…Such old fashioned beliefs." Gaara said back.

"Old fashioned beliefs aside, I will acknowledge as Mizukage I have delayed action. However having our bijuu stolen is no cause for immediate fear. Controlling a bijuu requires skill, knowledge and time." Mei said and Sonea felt like banging all of their heads together.

"The jinchuuriki and bijuu must mature together and adapt to each other. And still controlling a bijuu is difficult. It's not a simple task. Isn't that so Kazekage-sama?" Ohnoki asked him.

"The only ones who were capable of controlling a bijuu were Uchiha Madara and Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama and also the Yondaime Mizukage Yagura, Raikage's brother Killer Bee. However…." Danzo began.

"Enough of this!" Raikage yelled and smashed the table and all bodyguards emerged and Sonea stood calmly and passively behind Danzo. Mifune sighed as did Sonea who also shook her head. The sand siblings and Mei's eyes widened when they saw Sonea standing there calmly yet unwillingly as she looked at Danzo and furrowed her brows towards them and they took the slight hint as they turned back to Mifune.

"This is a place of discussion. Please refrain from disruptive actions." Mifune ordered.

"Stand down Foo, Sonea." Danzo ordered and she returned to her seat silently as did all the others.

"Let us continue our discussion." Mifune said.

"Konoha, Iwa, Suna and Kiri. Rogue ninja from your villages make up Akatsuki and that is not all. From our investigations we know that among you including your previous Kage are those that used the Akatsuki. I do not trust you. I had no intention of even discussing this with you. But the reason I convened this Summit is to question your loyalty." Raikage expressed.

"The Great Nations are heading into uniform stability, they are moving from military expansion to military disbarment. As fear and the threats of war diminishes between nations, Hidden villages, which are the source of military strength become costly hindrances. And yet, carelessly downsizing them poses a threat. What if war suddenly breaks out? It would be a problem to depend on ninja who have no experience in war. It would mean certain defeat." Ohnoiki expressed, getting off of the topic again.

"And one way to reduce risk is mercenary soldiers. Namely Akatsuki?" Gaara asked in confirmation.

"It takes effort and money to train skilled ninja from your village. But Akatsuki, which make war their livelihood is made up of experienced professionals. Furthermore, they can be hired for cheap. Best of all, they return exceptional results. " Ohnoiki said.

"Get serious Tsuchikage.. Suna used Akatsuki to destroy Konoha, I'm speaking of Orochimaru. It's not clear if he had broken away from the Akatsuki or not. As a result the Yondaime Kazekage and Sandaime Hokage both died. And frankly it's hard not to rule out that idea that this was someone's scheme. The most suspicious is Kirigakure.. You Kiri do not conduct diplomacy. There are even rumours that Akatsuki organises there." Raikage spoke, eyeing Danzo and Sonea smirked, and he caught on quickly.

"Since we have come this far I will speak honestly. There were suspicions that someone was manipulating the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura. And there was a possibility that it was Akatsuki. No one wanted this to get blown out of proportions. " Mei admitted and the Tsuchikage started to mouth the Raikage.

"Before we start arguing about the situation, there is a statement I have been waiting to make. The leader of Akatsuki is probably Uchiha Madara. I do not know the details but the information is quite reliable." Danzo spoke and Sonea gaped… How did he know this?

"I want to speak on behalf of the neutral nations. The leader of Akatsuki was able to read the times well. Despite stabilization, nations have private suspicions and the Akatsuki took advantage of that weakness to amass power. Turn calamity to good fortune. It's extremely rare for all five Kage to assemble. Until Akatsuki is eliminated, why not establish the worlds first Allied Shinobi Forces of the Five Great nations?" Mifune suggested.

"This is a fine plan. We are in an emergency state. Cooperation is crucial." Danzo spoke up and Sonea rolled her eyes.

"Going forward, we must establish a chain of command. We must avoid any further confusion. I ask that you respect the position of the neutral nations and allow me to come up with a proposal. To decide whom among the Five Kage is most suitable. Presently only Konoha has a jinchuuriki, the Kyuubi. The key is how to utilize it. How about granting supreme authority of the Allied Shinobi force to the Hokage?" Mifune suggested and Sonea snarled and began to get shaky and twitchy in her seat at the horrible idea. She kept chanting 'NO' in her head and began looking for a way out, Danzo would ruin the nations if he has supreme control and the world would definitely be lost.

"Let the Hokage lead the Allied Shinobi Force?!" Raikage spoke with annoyance. Ao noticed Sonea's agitation and they shared a short look before Sonea turned back to Danzo with a hateful glare.

"If you all approve, I will accept this appointment." Danzo said.

"Why the Hokage?" Raikage questioned. "He is synonymous with the dark side of ninja. We cannot let him take charge!"

"Then who would you suggest?" Mifune questioned.

"Not one of the Akatsuki come from my village. The important post requires trust. I should be the one to…"

"I cannot agree to that. I am well aware that passion and strength are essential in bringing the strong together. But someone like you, who lets his emotions rule his use of power would send the Allied Force into disarray like that desk. I am simply making an objective and rational observation as representative of the neutral nations. Kazekage-sama is much to young to wield such power. He does not yet have much pull with nations. His title alone is inadequate. Tsuchikage-sama on the other hand is too advanced in his years and gives the impression of ones whose powers have waned and he also used the Akatsuki too much. He is lacking most in trust. Mizukage-sama village is said to be the birthplace of Akatsuki. There is fear that information will be leaked to them, that there are spies. We do not know why Akatsuki is gathering the bijuu or what they intend to do with them. But we cannot let them get the Kyuubi, it belongs to Konoha hence I believe the Hokage is a logical choice." Mifune explained.

"First of all, I refuse to recognise an Allied Shinobi Force that would compromise the safety of my village." Raikage expressed and Ao stepped calmly from his place to Mei and Sonea followed behind Danzo, he had been caught.

"Hokage-dono. I ask that you show us your right eye beneath that bandage. I believe you stole Uchiha Shisui's eye and then transplanted it into your right eye, did you not? Shisui's particular ocular powers allowed him to enter others minds, make them go through phantom experiences and manipulate them. The victim would be totally unaware that he was being manipulated. It was an ocular jutsu of the highest degree." Ao explained and looked at Sonea who was looking at Danzo with disgust.

"Hokage! Don't tell me Mifune is being…" Raikage expressed.

"My right eye is also a precious spoil of war from a battle against a Hyuuga. So like you, I am not really one to talk. But you cannot fool my eye, which undid the genjutsu cast upon the fourth Mizukage. And…" Zetsu cut off Ao and Sonea moved to the shadows before she was noticed.

"Hello! Uchiha Sasuke has snuck in. Now, where could he be hiding? Let's all go look for Sasuke! Yeah!" Zetsu said before Raikage grabbed him by the neck and demanded answers. "You leave me no choice so I'll give you a hint…" He said before Raikage broke his neck and one of his guards began a jutsu. Ao was told to watch Danzo while the Raikage broke through the wall after Sasuke. Sonea moved to sit on the desk calmly and turned her head slightly back to see Gaara who nodded a slight acknowledgment to her, she closed her eyes and concentrated on what was going on in the fort.

"Ao, please confirm if the Hokage is still using his ocular jutsu." Mifune asked him.

"No, the flow of chakra in his network is very calm. The jutsu is undone." Ao said.

"Relax, its not like I can use that jutsu many times in a day." Danzo said.

"I'll decide that. For you are a man who cannot be trusted." Mifune said to Danzo.

"I never imagined the byakugan had fallen into outside hands. Had the traitor been a Hyuuga from Konoha, he would have been killed immediately." Danzo said and Sonea tched in disgust for her 'leader'.

"You are probably planning to dispose of me after learning your secret but that will not happen." Ao said and Sonea snorted that she agreed with Ao.

"Ninjutsu is prohibited in this room and you have now lost your credibility. Even if you hadn't resorted to this I may have chosen you." Mifune said to Danzo.

"May have wasn't acceptable. I was prepared to use any means necessary in order to protect the ninja world. This world must become one. In the same way Shodia Hokage, Hashirama, united our people and formed Konoha. This time I shall unite the villages and created one ninja world. There is no way this ninja world can be united by discussion alone." Danzo challenged.

"Let me ask you this… When did you all forsake yourselves?" Gaara asked them. Sonea covered her mouth with a hand to hide away her laughter at Ohnoiki and Danzo's faces and Mei was smiling with humour dancing in her eyes. Gaara and his siblings and one of Iwa's nin went after Sasuke and Foo suggested that one of them go to retrieve Sasuke's sharingan.

"You Konoha will stay where you are. Raikage-sama has ordered!" Ao warned and Foo made a move but was called back as Danzo will 'play nice' for now as he put it.

"It seems the enemy has a sensory type with them. They may come here in time. What do we do?" Foo asked Danzo.

"Nothing for now. We'll slip out during the chaos when they arrive." Danzo told him . Sasuke appeared on the roof of the conference room and Sonea just sat still and plane and clearly ignore him as she slipped into the shadows while Danzo escaped. She watched as Mei took on Sasuke and smiled, she would have to be careful when she decided to explain to the summit what was going on.

**A/N: Woohoo, over half way with this last part. What do you guys think so far and what do you think is going to happen? I'd love to hear your thoughts so drop me a review or PM.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: War is on the horizon! Warning, from here on there may be slightly spoiler chapters to chapter 600+- a few chapters, i can't remember how far i followed it. I hope you enjoy! R&R my lovelies!**

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Just as Ohnoiki used his dust release jutsu on Sasuke, the other Kage's returned. Madara showed up with Sasuke and took him and Karin away. Sonea's seal began that odd buzzing feeling and she snarled silently from the shadows.

"My name is Uchiha Madara. I have something I want to explain to you all. And once you comprehend it, I want to pose a question. It's about my plan… Project Tsuki no Me. Listen to my explanation, it will all depend on your answer. Now then, are you all ready to listen?" Madara asked.

"Why are you trying to win over Sasuke?" Gaara asked him.

"A sharingan capable of awakening the susano'o is rare. I like to stock up on good eyes. By battling the Five Kage, I want him to hone his ocular power even more. I'm the one who sent Sasuke here. I was intending to weaken the Five Kage and take you all hostage. It seems that is still not possible. The injuries I sustained during my battle with the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama, were too severe. I have no strength in me right now. You could say I am merely a shell of my old self. I want to take my time talking to you. Let me sit down. All shall become one with me and result in a complete possession form that unites all. The Uchiha have an ancient stone tablet that has been passed down for generations. It still exists underground in Konoha. Upon it is written secrets engraved by the Rikudo Sennin himself. It cannot be read unless you possess ocular powers. With the sharingan, mangekyo sharingan and rinnegan in that order the contents become increasingly visible… Do you know why the Rikudo Sennin became a legendary figure a god like figure that is revered as god of all ninja? There lies the link between my plan and this man. He once saved the world from a certain monster. Gaara, you also had one part of that monster sealed in you, that monster was the combination of all bijuu, something that possessed the most powerful chakra… The Jyuubi. The Jyuubi's chakra was simply divided up into the nine bijuu by the Rikudo Sennin. The Rikudo Sennin developed a certain ninjutsu in order to protect this world from the Jyuubi. Even today, that ninjutsu is still being passed down secretly. It is the sealing process for jinchuuriki. Yes, the Rikudo Sennin was the jinchuuriki for the Jyuubi, in order to suppress it, he sealed it into his own body. The Sennin who saved a world terrorized by the Jyuubi became a saviour and won praise as a god. But if the sage died, the powerful demonic chakra of the Jyuubi would once again be released onto this world. Fearing this, at the time of his death, the Rikudo Sennin summoned every last ounce of his power to partition they Jyuubi chakra into nine parts and scattered them across the world. Then he sealed its body, now devoid of all chakra, and hurled it into the sky and it became the moon.

When he became the Jyuubi's jinchuuriki the Rikudo Sennin went beyond the realm of humans. I will revive the Jyuubi and I will become its jinchuuriki. I will use its power to strengthen my ocular powers and activate a certain jutsu. A super genjutsu where I project my eyes off of the moon. Infinite Tsukuyomi. I will cast a genjutsu on every single person who walks the earth and in that genjutsu I will control all humans and unify the world. A world without hatred or war. Everything will become one with me and be united. That is Project Tsuki no Me." Madara explained. The Kages didn't agree.

"All this talk and yet what have you Five Kage accomplished? You of all people should know by now… There is no such thing as hope. To hope is the equivalent of giving up and it's the biggest deception of all. Hand over the Hachibi and Kyuubi and cooperate with my plan. Or there will be war. The attempt to capture the Hachibi failed and he escaped. He is a ninja who is a perfect jinchuuriki. Only your younger brother has got what it takes." Madara finished.

"We will not hand over Uzumaki Naruto." Gaara said and Mei agreed as did A.

"I do not have the strength but the bijuu we have gathered so far do. You people have no chance of winning. I hereby declare the start of the Fourth Great Ninja War. The next time we meet will be on the battlefield." Madara stated before he vanished in a swirl.

"Well, he's a ray of sunshine isn't he?" Sonea asked, stepping out of the shadows and crouched just in time as the Raikage tried to hit her with Lariat and she flipped to the side as Ohnoiki tried his dust release and she crouched on the Mizukage's previous table with her arms held out in surrender. "Wait, I just want to talk, please listen to what I have to say." Sonea begged as A removed himself from the demolished wall and Ohnoiki lowered his hands reluctantly.

"Why should we trust you? You were with that traitor Danzo and have been hiding the entire time!" Raikage asked her sternly in a slight yell.

"I suggest you all listen to what she has to say." Gaara said calmly with a slight smile towards Sonea who nodded her thanks.

"I agree with Kazekage-dono, I know her well as she's the one who helped us take Kirigakure back from Akatsuki and said she just wanted to help the bijuu… She's held her word." Mei spoke up as well and Raikage powered down and stepped back to his original position as Sonea jumped onto the table Madara was just sitting on and leaned back against her hands.

"Danzo forced me to be his guard and I took this opportunity. He only chose me for what I want to tell you and wanted to use me as his own personal weapon in case his first plan with his eye did not work but I would not allow that to happen anyway. I was hiding but that's because the world would be screwed if Madara found me… You see not all of the Jyuubi's chakra was separated into the nine bijuu, they are only its yang half." Sonea began to explain.

"What do you mean only it's yang half, where's the rest?" Ohnoiki asked.

"I have it." She said calmly and everyone was visibly shocked. She crossed her legs that dangled over the table and leaned back against her arms. "You see, hundreds of years ago, the Rikudo Sennin knew that when he dies the Jyuubi would just be released back onto the world and so he took on an apprentice to be the next jinchuuriki for it. He did not choose either of his sons for it as he saw darkness within their hearts and looked for the apprentice on the outside and found me at the age of four." Sonea began to explain.

"So… You're immortal?" Mifune asked and Sonea tilted her head both ways.

"I was. I came from a demonic clan called the Chi clan however they were massacred just after my birth and I was left alive somehow. My clan has great powers concerning blood and the eyes, extreme healing rates and eyes that are more sensitive than the regular eye jutsus. However when the time came I was still too weak and so he made a rash decision and split the Yang chakra up into the nine bijuu and sealed the Yin within me and a special seal named the Fate seal was placed upon me. The seal and my bloodline reacted in such a way that caused me to become immortal and I have dwelled in Konoha since before its birth with the Senju clan.. Nearly four years ago, my seal began to break because of Akatsuki's plans hence the name fate seal and I began to age once again. I have been forced into a permanent state of using senjutsu to hold the seal in place." Sonea explained as she stood up and moved her hair to show her seal on her back. "I am also what Madara would call a perfect jinchuuriki." She said as she pulled on the Jyuubi's chakra and transformed in front of the stunned crowd.

"Does Madara know about your power?" Gaara asked.

"No, by the sounds of it and he mustn't find out, he is a strong foe that I have faced in the past however this was kept top secret between the Kyuubi jinchuuriki and the Hokage only. There are a few trusted people in Konoha that know now too but I'm worried with what Danzo might do with this information. Do you have any more questions?" Sonea asked as she let go of the Jyuubi chakra and sat back down without the genjutsu covering her eyes this time.

"What will happen if your seal were to break completely? Will we have two Jyuubi's to go against?" Mei asked.

"No, the power I yield will go straight to its body and wait for its completion. We must find Killer Bee ASAP and protect both him and Naruto even though I don't think they will want to just sit around and wait while we fight for them. Fate can change in a split second we will not know the outcome of this war but right now it's not looking good." Sonea expressed and they all agreed.

"Well then what do we do now?" Ohnoiki asked.

"We have to form the Allied Shinobi Force. It's the only way we can try to counter the power of seven bijuu." Gaara said.

"You were oppose to this Raikage-sama?" Mei asked.

"It seems my younger brother is alive. We cannot allow ourselves to be manipulated by Akatsuki any longer. Form the Allied Shinobi Force and settle this once and for all." Raikage said calmly.

"What about Konoha? The Hokage ran off." Ohnoiki said.

"There is too much suspicion surrounding Danzo. He lost our trust at the summit. When the shinobi of Konoha learn about him his position in the village will become insecure. He will be removed in no time." Raikage stated and Sonea agreed.

"I will speak to someone I trust among Konoha regarding the Allied Shinobi Force." Gaara said.

"And who might that be?" Raikage asked.

"Sharingan no Hatake Kakashi." Gaara said and Sonea nearly blushed but did smirk slightly.

"The White Fang's son?" Ohnoiki asked and Raikage nodded.

"He is a good friend of mine and is loyal and trustworthy towards his village, he will be a good choice as he is one of the few people who know about my situation." Sonea let them know.

"Fine. He seems more trustworthy than Danzo." Raikage agreed.

"Perhaps it would be wise for the Allied Shinobi Force to plan on using the Hachibi, Kyuubi and Sonea as military weapon too." Ohnoiki suggested.

"That cannot happen. This war is to protect them. There is a reason Madara is waging war with just the seven bijuu he has collected so far. It is too difficult for Madara in his weakened state and the Akatsuki members to capture the Hachibi and Kyuubi. And even if they succeed the risk is too great. That is why he may be luring them to his side in the war. In any case using the hachibi, Kyuubi and Sonea in her weakened state for battle is not a wise strategy." Gaara stated logically and Mei and A agreed.

"If we consider the worse case scenario it will be like offering them what they want on a silver platter. And besides the Hachibi is my younger brother and 'military strategy' is a foreign concept to him. I can't predict what he'll do. He may just create more chaos on the battlefield." Raikage explained and Sonea smiled, he sounded like Naruto.

"Kazekage, Sonea, we will leave the matter with Kakashi with you. On my way here I met Kakashi and the Kyuubi jinchuuriki on my way here, they might still be in the Land of Iron." Raikage informed them. It was decided that he would lead the force and they all got going to their destinations with Sonea tracking the Kyuubi.

From far away she could see Naruto talking to Sai with Kakashi and Yamato with him but what caught her attention was his blue eyes that looked like they were in shear turmoil and Sonea became worried as they stopped by them.

"There is something you must hear immediately. We will tell you everything that happened at the Five Kage Summit." Temari said, getting straight to the point as she explained Danzo and Sasuke as well as the final decision.

"I'm not to eager about becoming Hokage. Even if the situation requires me to accept. I'll have to return to Konoha first and hear what the others say." Kakashi explained.

"Madara has declared war on us! There's no time to deliberate." Temari pressured them.

"I'm sure they would approve. We should have them proceed on the premise that you are the Hokage Kakashi. If our response is delayed and Madara and the Akatsuki take the advantage that would be even worse." Yamato said.

"I guess your right, thanks." Kakashi said, a bit annoyed at the situation.

"And Sasuke… For him to attack the Summit" Yamato said with slight disbelief.

"Naruto, this is a war to protect the Hachibi, Kyuubi and Jyuubi's Yin chakra, namely you and Sonea. And it's also for the ninja world. As the Kazekage I would give my life to protect you. If Uchiha Sasuke confronts the Allied Shinobi Force as a member of Akatsuki I will show no mercy. Sasuke doesn't care about you, all he wants is darkness. Naruto, you told me 'I am going to be Hokage.' I have become the Kazekage. If you are prepared to bare the burden of being a Kage then do what is right as Sasuke's friend." Gaara asked but Naruto just knocked Gaara's hand from his shoulder and stared numbly.

"We've said everything we've needed to say. Let's go Gaara. We will return to our village. Hatake Kakashi with the understanding that you will be Hokage, Suna will take action. As allied nations I pray that there will be no conflicting Intel between us." Temari said as the siblings began to leave.

"I consider you my closest friend. In the past 'friend' was merely a word to me. But after meeting you, you made me realise that the meaning of that word is what's important. What does it mean? What can you do for Sasuke? Think hard about that." Gaara said and they left. Sonea watched as emotions of denial crossed his face, wondering what had thrown him into such turmoil when she had seen him so happy over a month ago after defeating Pain.

"So, what will we do now? In any case, I think we should return to Konoha and report about what happened at the summit. And also about Sakura." Yamato said. Naruto still stood numbly as Sonea stood where she was examining him with worried eyes, she hadn't replaced the genjutsu over them as there was no point anymore.

" The real me is accompanying Sakura. She won't be allowed to get near Sasuke. You can count on that." Sai assured them.

"But it would be better to go in person and talk her out of it. Alright. Yamato, take Naruto and Sonea back to the village. I'll bring Sakura back. Sakura is no match for Sasuke. It would be like she's going there to die. I'll dispatch the ninken with a report about the summit since its urgent… Sai, take me to Sakura." Kakashi decided and Naruto began gasping. Sonea stepped up to him and watched as he struggled with inner turmoil. He grabbed his chest over his heart and began falling, Sonea grabbed him as his body tilted over and lay him down while he lost consciousness with hyperventilation. They gathered around and tried to talk to him but Sonea silenced them by holding up a finger and letting him settle into unconsciousness properly before hitting him with her palm on his chest with a small wind and lightning jutsu that got his heart and breathing under control and he slept peacefully.

"You should get going before she finds Sasuke and you end up fighting him. Yamato will help me carry him inside to let him rest before we go back to Konoha… Go!" She said up to them and Sai and Kakashi took off while Yamato picked Naruto up and walked inside. Sonea noted the damage done recently and obviously repaired by Yamato as he lay him down on a futon and placed a blanket over him. "What happened here?" Sonea questioned him sternly as they sat down to watch Naruto.

"Madara showed up." Yamato said simply and Sonea scowled.

"What did he want?" Sonea asked.

"He talked about Sasuke… That is all I can say" Yamato said harshly. Sonea became annoyed.

"What do you mean that is all you can say?!" She nearly stood up before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes to calm herself. "I'm sorry, it's been a rough two days since I woke up… Please explain what you can Yamato." Sonea said calmly.

"We came with Naruto to find the Raikage so he could ask him to forgive Sasuke but it didn't work so we came here to rest for a while since Naruto doesn't do well in the cold either like you. Madara showed up and said he just wanted to talk about Sasuke and the path he has chosen and to find out why Nagato gave his life for Naruto but he explained about Itachi and how Sasuke now wants revenge on Konoha for his brother. Sakura then came along with Lee, Kiba and Akamaru and Sai to tell Naruto that she loved him but he saw right through her and she then decided to go after Sasuke herself to kill him which is why Senpai has gone after her with one of Sai's clones. That is all I can tell you." Yamato explained.

"So… About Itachi… Did he tell you about the supposed 'real' truth about that night?" Sonea asked him and his eyes widened.

"You know?" He asked and Sonea nodded.

"About it actually being a mission, yes, I know the whole story, Itachi told me himself." Sonea said and the room went silent. Naruto woke up from a nightmare a while later and asked what happened and where he was and Kakashi before he began to panic again and Yamato lay him back down while Sonea wiped away his sweat with a cloth and went to rinse it off and placed it across his forehead with a small smile at him as she brushed his hair back. Yamato came in with a bowl of porridge for him but he said he wasn't hungry and hid under the blankets. Yamato fell asleep and Sonea stilled her movements to see what Naruto would do and she guessed right.


	21. Chapter 21

She left a note in the room for Yamato when he wakes up and Waited underneath where Naruto was cutting through and hid in the shadows. As she saw him jump through she slipped out and pulled him by the collar before he could take off, he looked at her questioningly.

"Did you forget that I have pretty good senses and chakra control? Naruto… Where are you going?" Sonea asked him sadly and he turned to face her seriously as he stared into her rippling eyes that held sadness and she into blue eyes that also held sadness but also determination.

"I'm going after Sasuke to stop Sakura and I won't let you stop me or tell me differently, I've made up my mind Sonea-san." He said with determination and seriousness and Sonea sighed.

"Fine, I'm coming with you. I've already left Yamato a note so let's get going." Sonea said with a sly grin that Naruto returned as Naruto concentrated Natural chakra to trace Kakashi and Sakura and they were off. The trip was silent all of the way as they travelled silently after his teammates.

As they got there they made a rash decision as Naruto saved Sakura and Sonea blocked the kunai that would have slashed him with her blades on her arms as Kakashi came up behind and tried to hit them as they fought up the wall before coming back down again. Sonea stood calmly as she already decided not to get involved and watched on with her hands in her pockets and in a lazy posture next to Kakashi.

"Your timing is better than mine Naruto. I never imagined you coming here, you're a lifesaver." Kakashi said back to Naruto who put Sakura down gently and stared at Sasuke. Sonea could see the toll his eyes had taken as they lost focus as the pupil dilated and expanded unfocused.

"Sasuke… Sakura-chan is a fellow ninja from Team 7." Naruto said to him.

"'Was' a fellow ninja. I no longer belong." Sasuke said cockily, his chakra had become colder than before and even the Jyuubi made a noise at that thought.

"Now do you understand Naruto, Sakura. His intent to kill is real. Sasuke is no longer the same person as before." Kakashi said sadly and Naruto walked up between Sonea and Kakashi.

"Sasuke… I heard the truth about Itachi from a guy named Tobi. I don't really know for sure if what he said is really true or not but it doesn't matter. What you've been doing is… understandable." Naruto said and Sonea smirked with closed eyes while Kakashi and Sakura were shocked.

"Naruto…I told you before… You don't have parents or siblings so how could you possibly understand me. So outsiders can just keep their mouths shut!" Sasuke shouted at him and Sakura stood up.

"Do you know what Naruto has gone through for you? No matter what rumours we hear about you he has never stopped thinking of you as his friend. While everyone targeted you Naruto alone tried to rescue you. Even now…" Sakura said with emotion, trying to get her point across.

"Rescue me? From what?" Sasuke asked with amusement.

"From revenge. I swear I'll save you from the chaos of vengeance." Naruto said with determination.

"There's no need for that. The stage has already been set for my vengeance to happen. Just a while ago I finally got to take revenge on one of Itachi's enemies. I killed a high ranked elder of Konoha. Someone named Danzo. I've never felt like this before. I feel the tainted Uchiha name becoming cleansed. I feel the Uchiha getting free from this rotting world of ninja. You guys couldn't begin to understand. And isn't what I'm doing exactly what Konoha wanted all along? You've always snubbed and put down the Uchiha so I'll help erase the Uchiha from your memories. I'm going to kill all of you and destroy Konoha! Severing all bonds to Konoha is the ultimate purification. And that shall lead to the Uchiha's true restoration." Sasuke declared.

"Huh, he's lost it…" Sonea said with disbelief and one eyebrow raised as she stuck her hands into her pockets. Naruto created two shadow clones but Kakashi put his arm out to stop him.

"This is my task. Naruto, Sakura, get out of here. If you stay you'll see things you don't want to see. Now go! Sakura, the poison laced kunai Shizune taught you to use won't kill Sasuke. Orochimaru gave him resistance to poisons. What's more… you've come to terms with your feelings right?" Kakashi asked her. Sasuke fire up a Chidori and began walking towards them and stopped as Kakashi fired up a Chidori as well.

"Kaka-sensei this 'something you don't want to see'… Are you going to kill Sasuke?" Naruto asked and Kakashi didn't flinch.

"Go, both of you!" Kakashi ordered and Sonea stood at the ready just in case since Sasuke wanted to kill Sonea as well it seems. A clone grabbed Kakashi and a rasengan was formed in Naruto's hand in a split second as the two began charging at each other. Sonea was a second behind Naruto so she could make sure he was safe and the impact sent both of them flying back as Sonea grabbed him mid air and twisted to land safely with him as white Zetsu showed up to cushion Sasuke's fall.

"Naruto… I told you to go back to the village." Kakashi scolded.

"Now… It's all clear." Naruto said and Sonea cowered back as the familiar warping of Madara showed up, she growled at her fear but stood by Sakura to be safe.

"What's going on Sasuke? I told you to go home and rest. Kyuubi huh? It seems you cannot suppress the urge to fight when you two get together. I'll arrange a proper place for you to hunt the Kyuubi. For now we retreat." Madara ordered and Sonea growled low in her throat.

"I'll fight in your stead. Since we need the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki anyway." Zetsu said as he created clones.

"Zetsu… You can't capture Naruto. The Kyuubi will be too much for a non-combat type like you. I'm going to let Sasuke get the Kyuubi. It's for my enjoyment as well. But I'm concerned about Kisame so you go to him. And rendezvous with black Zetsu " Madara ordered and Naruto stepped forward and Sonea hesitated forward a little too.

"I'll be fine. But I need to make sure I say something to Sasuke… Do you remember? Do you remember what you said to me long ago at the Valley of the End? The thing about high-levelled shinobi, clashing face-to-face. Just now we learned things just by trading blows with one another. It means we have become high-level shinobi. You and me. Sasuke…Were you able to read… what was inside my heart? And you saw it didn't you? That if you and I fight… we will both die. Sasuke… If you attack Konoha, I will have to fight you. Save your hatred until then and at that time throw all of your hatred at me. The only one who can handle all of that hatred is me. Only I can fulfil that duty. And on that day I'll bare the burden of your hate and die with you." Naruto declared. Sonea couldn't help thinking of Hashirama and Madara at that moment as her heart swelled with guilt.

"What is it with you Naruto? Just what the hell do you want?! Why are you so fixated on me?!" Sasuke yelled out.

"Because we're friends." Naruto said with a pure-hearted smile and Sasuke seemed lost. "I knew from the moment we first met that it was going to take more than just ordinary means to understand you. Exchanging fists is how we understand each other. That's for sure. Like I said just now it means we have become high-level shinobi. I'm not giving up yet, I'm taking you back to Konoha. That's something I'll never give up on. Well I've rambled on long enough. Damn it. A poor talker like me lecturing you is not my style. If we both end up dying, you won't be an Uchiha and I won't be the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki, we'll be free of our burdens and we'll finally be able to understand each other in the next world." Naruto said happily. Sonea could see how Sasuke was fighting himself and the darkness within his near sightless eyes.

"I don't plan on changing nor am I interested in understanding you and I don't plan on dying. You're the one who's going to die." Sasuke said with conflict leaking onto his voice slightly.

"If I die, we both die Sasuke." Naruto told him.

"Fine then, I'll kill you first." Sasuke said with a smirk.

"It's clear you still haven't acknowledged me yet." Naruto said with challenge.

"Enough Naruto, I'll take Sasuke on. You have your precious dream of becoming the Hokage. I can't let Sasuke take you down with him." Kakashi began.

"How can I become Hokage if I can't even save one friend? I'll fight Sasuke." Naruto finalized.

"All right Naruto, I'll leave Sasuke to you. However Sakura… Watch over my body." Kakashi said as he stepped forward and Sonea rolled her eyes, Madara was to quick to be caught in his jutsu even though he had been working on it a lot.

"Forget it Kakashi. A jutsu like that won't work on me. Let's go Sasuke." Madara said as they disappeared in a swirl.

"It seems Madara is all over the place today isn't he?" Sonea asked with relaxed sarcasm as she rolled her shoulders and noticed Naruto get a bit queasy and collapse into the water while Sakura and Kakashi ran to him and examined him, noticing the cut on his cheek. Sakura became tense and looked like she wanted to freak out and run away.

"Then its… It's from the poison dipped kunai knife I used earlier." Sakura said with panic.

"Seems like it… You need to administer the antidote right away Sakura." Kakashi told her calmly as she freaked out and Sonea couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

"Sorry…" She said, wiping away tears, becoming serious again. "Let's get back onto the solid ground of the bridge with that red haired girl and we can sort things out from there." Sonea said, turning around and flying up the side of the bridge with Sakura and Kakashi carrying Naruto close behind as he set him down and Sakura administered the antidote while Kakashi went to fetch the red haired girl and placed her on his back.

"I still feel sick." Naruto muttered, standing up and holding his stomach as Sakura grinned sheepishly. "By the way Kaka-sensei, who's that on your back?" He asked.

"She's one of Sasuke-kun's comrades." Sakura said.

"Not anymore." She muttered, turning her head away.

"I have a lot of questions I want to ask her so I'm taking her back to the village." Kakashi explained to them. Sonea examined the girl and wondered if she could be an Uzumaki by her hair and her chakra type.

"I see, so we're going back to Konoha." Naruto muttered, walking in the direction of home.

"Naruto, not that way." Kakashi said, stopping Naruto from walking. "We forgot something in the Land of Iron. Right Sakura? We should go back and retrieve it right?" Kakashi asked when it dawned on Sakura. Sonea's eyes flashed to a new chakra signature that appeared and jumped out of the way of Yamato's wood release as he tried to cage her with Naruto and she skidded to a halt next to Kakashi, eyes focused in battle, she hadn't felt this good in a long time.

"What are you two doing here? You were both supposed to go back to the village with me. You even made a hole in the floor and left a damn note taped to my forehead Sonea! I had to pursue you two and I was barely able to apologise to the Innkeeper." Yamato complained and Sonea stood innocently, scratching her cheek with a sheepish grin towards Yamato.

"Naruto came in the nick of time but it seems you didn't send him over." Kakashi mused with some slight amusement to his voice and Sonea fought with a smirk.

"Of coarse not! After all, you told me to take him and Sonea back to the village." Yamato replied like it was the simplest answer in the world and Kakashi closed his eye in amusement, and snuck an amused look at Sonea next to him.

"In essence… They left you behind. It turned out fine Yamato. If they hadn't come, Sakura might have been dead by now… And maybe even me depending on the circumstances." Kakashi mused quietly as guilt passed over Sakura's face.

"Sasuke's chakra is different from the past. It was dark and cold." Karin explained with slight sadness as Sonea examined her face.

"Still… Sasuke is Sasuke." Naruto said with a grin and it seemed to lighten Sakura and Kakashi's moods a little.

"Anyway, that's what happened Yamato. So please forgive them." Kakashi said and Yamato placed Naruto back on the ground.

"Okay, please go on ahead. I'm going back to the inn to repair the hole Naruto made." Yamato said and then disappeared in a poof of smoke, still pouting.

"Let's get going too." Kakashi said and then led the way silently. Sonea looked around at the damage again on the bridge and then turned to follow them back after one last look and sense around, locating that Danzo, Foo, Sasuke, Karin, Madara and Zetsu were the only ones there to confirm it. They walked in silence along the rows of trees and then stopped to see Lee, Sai, Kiba and Akamaru passed out on the grass just off of the trail.

"Is this what you forgot? How could these guys just lay around sleeping while you were in such a bind Sakura-chan?" Naruto whined, still holding his stomach and Sakura giggled sheepishly.

"Sakura… They were going to help you. Apologise properly after you wake them up." Kakashi said and Sakura said she would as Naruto walked over to them and fell asleep next to them. Sakura yelled at him.

"Naruto's like that because of you… um, Sakura, right? It's because of your poison." Karin muttered and Sonea smirked with laughter while Kakashi eye smiled and laughed slightly. "What a care free guy, he's already asleep."

"However, we don't have time to waste. Sakura, wake them up." Kakashi said and Sakura got right to work as Kiba questioned why Naruto was there as well. "I'll explain on the way home." Kakashi said as Kiba kicked Naruto's shoulder gently.

"But why?" Sai suddenly said, holding his throat and Sakura asked what was wrong. "Can you take a look?" Sai asked as he stuck his tongue out, the ROOT seal had gone and Sonea noticed the seal on her left wrist was almost completely gone as well. "Then the Curse Mark is gone? Danzo-sama had placed a Curse Mark on my tongue. The fact that it's gone means…" Sai wondered then looked at Kakashi with shock.

"It seems like it. This girl knows more about it." Kakashi said, looking at Karin but he also noticed Sonea rubbing at her left wrist.

"This Danzo you're talking about… Sasuke got him. That's all I have to say." Karin said stubbornly and Kiba demanded for more information when Naruto's order distracted them and Kiba became outraged.

"You get up too and explain!" Wake up Naruto!" Kiba shouted as Lee restrained him. Sonea smiled and stepped over, crouching by Naruto and shook him gently and he woke up.

"We've got to get going again Naruto, plus Kiba wants answers." Sonea said sheepishly as she helped him to sit up carefully and stand up again as they walked again, Sonea by Kakashi and Karin, behind Sai, watching the group interact and Naruto revert to himself from a few years ago again. Sonea noticed Karin gasp and tense slightly and looked where she was looking, at Naruto and scowled, wondering what Karin had figured out as ANBU jumped in front of them and Sonea scowled further.

"Sai. You need to explain everything that's happened." The captain spoke as Sai stepped in front.

"It seems you are aware of it too. The reason why the curse mark placed on us by Danzo-sama is gone." Sai said calmly.

"Is Danzo-sama… Dead?" The captain asked and Sai confirmed it. "What about his body guards Foo and Sonea?" He asked and noted her and she flinched slightly.

"I'm in the dark about Foo." Sai said.

"They were not at the site." Kakashi explained and they exchanged a look.

"Therefore I would like to propose a discussion about the future of the Foundation with you. And with the new Hokage here. Hatake Kakashi-san." Sai said and Kakashi's look became hard.

"We'll head back ahead of you. Sonea, you must leave with us and report to the council straight away and take your punishment accordingly." The captain said and Sonea stepped forwards and eyed them harshly. Karin was fidgeting horrendously as she studied Sonea. She was like the calm before the storm but as you look deeper, she came across darkness, a hundred times more frightening than she last saw Sasuke.

"Understood." She said calmly before Kakashi grabbed her wrist, shifting Karin a little on his back. Sonea looked back at him but he still had a cautious eye on the ANBU before she shook her wrist free. "I'll see you back in the village guys." Sonea said and jumped away silently with the ANBU. She was lead straight to where the elders were staying as she stood stiffly in front of them, hands curled in fists at her sides and shoulders tense as she faced Homaru and Koharu.

"A guard comes back without their charge. The ANBU have alerted us of the situation and we want answers." Koharu stated calmly with venom to her voice.

"Danzo lost my trust as well as the villages at the same time. He tried to manipulate the summit and was caught red handed and when Uchiha Sasuke showed up, he as well as his other guard, Foo, ran for it and it's obvious Sasuke caught up to him. Hatake Kakashi and his team are on their way back with a hostage, a former teammate of Uchiha Sasuke who witnessed it all and can give me my alibi. I will not stand for an unfair judgement in front of you two as Danzo has risked the safety of the ninja world too many times in one day and I refuse to stand for it." Sonea stated harshly with disapproving looks from both of them.

"How is it that a loyal ninja such as yourself chose Danzo untrustworthy and abandoned him?" Homaru asked and Sonea suppressed a sigh at the repeat of what he was asking.

"It was spotted by Ao, the Mizukage's escort who had the byakugan as a prize from a fight with a Hyuuga that Danzo was using Uchiha Shisui's eye as he recognised the chakra from fighting him in the past. The Mizukage trusts him as well as there was proof of it happening and using Koto Amatsukami to get his way and he only chose me as his body guard as a back up plan to get things to go his way." Sonea explained with the same cold tone.

"He must have had a good reason." Homaru said and Sonea clenched her fists so her nails bit into her skin and she began to bleed.

"Dammit, there is no 'good' reason!" Sonea yelled at them. "You are to blind to see the jealousy Danzo held over Hiruzen all these years as well as his underhanded plots. The black missions for example." Sonea stated a little more calmly, catching their attention back. "Yeah that's right… You'll probably find that it drops off the radar for good now and if I ever find out that you two were involved in ANYTHING… You don't want to know what hit you." Sonea snarled out and calmed down as there was a knock at the door and she stepped to the side and kept her expression hard and her gaze down.

As expected Kakashi walked in and explained the whole situation of what happened at the summit, Sasuke and Danzo as well and the elders had no choice but to accept that Sonea might have been telling the truth as she stood motionless as Kakashi snuck her quick glances when the elders weren't watching.

"We must quickly hold a meeting to determine who will be the next Hokage." Koharu said.

"The Allied Shinobi Force will be stalled if the Hokage is missing." Homura said.

"That cannot be helped. We will recommend you for Hokage. Suna, a member of the alliance has also recommended you." Koharu said.

"I am prepared for it." Kakashi said calmly.

"Oh… That was easy." Koharu said, eyeing Kakashi but he held his gaze back harshly.

"Of coarse it would be a little out of character for me to be the Hokage." Kakashi stated and Sonea nearly smirked, her mood lighting up a little.

"That's fine. I will go to the Daimyo to request a conference. Go back to the village and prepare yourself until you are called." Koharu said defeated.

" There really isn't anything for me to prepare." Kakashi said as he turned to go.

"Listen Kakashi. Let me just say one thing to the next Hokage. It is true Danzo was very ambitious but everything he did was for the sake of the village." Homaru said and Sonea expression turned cold again.

"Hiruzen out front and Danzo in the back. Things went smoothly in Konoha back then." Koharu said and Kakashi looked back and noticed Sonea roll her eyes discreetly.

"Is that meant to be some sort of excuse?" Kakashi asked.

"Just some advice. Don't try to take on everything by yourself. It would be best if you have a confidant beside you." Koharu said and Kakashi just walked out with annoyance in his stance.

"I am a proud shinobi and I would have trusted him as long as he played nicely but he didn't and he lost my trust when he was found using an illusion, I will not follow someone who tries to manipulate people to have his 'logical' way plus I had other pressing matters to attend to as you now know so do not pressure me, I will not stand for it right now." Sonea explained with a stern tone and they both flinched slightly. "And anyway, he lost my trust when he forcefully put me back on duty with his own curse seal like I was his minion. Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to go home to rest and I'll see you both tomorrow for the conference with the Feudal Lord." Sonea said, leaving the slightly stunned council behind and trudging back to her place she felt particularly vengeful as she walked and began singing 'In a crooked little town, they were lost and never found, Fallen leaves, fallen leaves, fallen leaves on the ground' loudly as she walked away. Her eyes were watering and her face slightly red as she headed to the edge of her tower as a storm brewed and rushed up with her angry emotions.

**A/N: War is on the horizon! Yeah, that's right Sonea, you tell them! Okay, maybe i'm loosing it when i begin to cheer my own character on (Blushes with a silly grin). Thanks for reading, please drop a review by as you leave out the exit door to your left. **


	22. Chapter 22

"So… Hokage." Sonea said, staring at the stone faces on the mountain as Kakashi appeared behind her on her tower, looking a little dusty with plaster stuck in his hair.

"Looks like it… You went missing." Kakashi stated calmly with his hands in his pockets.

"I'm sure you can connect the dots." She said, turning to face him as the wind blew her hair out of her face with the darkened sky from the storm she was brewing from her own inner turmoil. "Besides, it seems my time's coming short now. Fifteen tomoe out of eighteen, they have some of the Hachibi's power and I fear that is enough anyway especially with the Jyuubi's body as I discovered Madara has already… Are you really prepared to become Hokage Kakashi?" Sonea questioned as harshly as the elders had and Kakashi had to refrain from flinching away from the rippling sharingan that seemed to stare right through him.

"Does it look like I have a choice right now? I think you'd do a better job anyway." He said with a mischievous glint to his eye as Sonea smiled and shook her head, the serious atmosphere dissipating.

"Yeah, a jinchuuriki and not to mention ex immortal as Hokage? What have you been smoking Hatake?" She mocked and he laughed as he walked up to her and wrapped her in his arms.

"Your influence." He said simply and they both laughed while enjoying each other's company. "You really should get out of these clothes." He said, plucking at the regular ANBU uniform she was using as she moved away from his warmth with a pout.

"It's not like it was my first choice in clothing. Danzo just wasn't the track pants and jaytee type of person." She mocked and he laughed as they headed inside her apartment.

"I always wondered why you never wore the regular uniform or the regular white mask with red and green decals to it. It only just made sense to me." Kakashi mocked and Sonea turned her head with confusion to look at him.

"And your conclusion was?" She asked.

"It makes you look to damn good." He said, unclipping the white chest armour as it fell off her as they stepped into her apartment and she kissed him after pulling his mask down roughly since it seemed to stick to his skin with plaster.

"Did it ever seem to occur to you that it could be because of my abilities?" She mocked as she let him pull off the arm guards and then the gloves.

"No… Never occurred to me." He mocked as he held her hips.

"Whatever Danzo did to me to get me going again has worn off now and fighting with that damn council didn't help besides I got revenge by singing fallen leaves as I walked away anyway… I know it was a bit sadistic." Sonea said as she got an odd look from Kakashi who started to laugh after a while. She undid his hitai-ate and placed it on the sink next to them so she could run her hands freely into his hair, he moved his head so he could look down into her eyes.

"I have to say it was a bit sadist but they deserve it sometimes. They even told me to have someone by my side for Hokage like Sandaime had with Danzo… I don't like any of the council and I feel a bit intimidated having to go up against them." Kakashi said with a sigh and Sonea snorted.

"Hey! I'm part of that council so don't worry, they won't mess with a powerhouse couple like us, I'll see to it. As for having someone you trust by your side, it would be a good idea, someone other than me I mean. They would use my weakened state to corner you and we can't have that now that the shinobi are more divided than ever after Danzo's death and with the Allied Shinobi Force, we don't need that." Sonea said and Kakashi chuckled.

"Who's the Hokage here?" He said laughing and Sonea blushed with embarrassment and muttered a sorry. "Well you were Hokage for a little while, while Jiraiya and Naruto went looking for Tsunade and you've been the Fire Shadow's shadow for so many years, it's understandable." Kakashi said with a hint of sadness to his voice before he flipped her up into his arms and proceeded to peel away their uniforms while the hot water steamed up the bathroom.

The shadows had always been kind to Sonea as later that evening she was back to her old Raven self, following the elders, Shikaku, the ANBU representative and Kakashi to the Daimyo to announce Kakashi as the next Hokage. Hokage had never been one of their dreams, all they wished for was to be used as tools to protect the Will of Fire they had all worked so hard to achieve. She felt her world and relationship becoming more of a political nightmare by the second as they headed to the guarded council room. They all sat down with the Daimyo's council on the other side, leaving Danzo's seat open for the time being as everything was explained to the dim witted Daimyo that Sonea had never liked. Kakashi was called in and walked in with confidence, pride and power exuding from his presence. As the Lord was about to announce Kakashi Hokage, he had a whole discussion in what number Hokage he would be and Sonea nearly screamed out in frustration. After a discussion he was about to announce it when Guy rushed in and Sonea suddenly had such an urge to use dynamic entry on him but then the new sunk in from Star who was currently with Shizune… Tsunade was awake and well so Kakashi got out of it. Guy then dragged Kakashi off for an eating contest and Sonea sighed with a smile as she slipped out silently and back home. Preparations for war had started.

"You know if you continue to eat like that you're just going to throw it back up again… I know from experience." Sonea mocked watching the blonde Hokage gobble down anything set in front of her.

"Shut up Brat." Tsunade muttered with her mouth full, spewing rice everywhere over her bed and Sonea sighed. "So is everything I've heard true?" She asked more seriously as she set her empty bowl down on the table.

"That depends on what you've heard." Sonea answered back and Tsunade's face scrunched up like she just tasted something bad.

"You've been hanging around with that Hatake brat too much." Tsunade smiled with a hidden gleam in her eye but Sonea just smiled tiredly as Tsunade relayed everything back that she's heard while Shizune brought in some more food for her.

"That's about everything…" Sonea sighed and Tsunade seemed a little disheartened.

"How's your seal?" Tsunade asked.

"I'm… battling." She admitted, eyes focused on the ground with furrowed brows. "With such a large scale of involvement from everyone, fate's being pulled by a delicate tug of war and not being to kind to my seal."

"I see… Well then I will order a meeting as soon as possible and explain our current position… Including you, things are about to become even more difficult so go home and rest." Tsunade ordered and Sonea bowed slightly and left, taking a detour through the rebuilding village and amazed at how quickly it was all coming together.

Sonea was dragged into a meeting with the council a day later and sat in her usual place, the shadows as Tsunade explained the whole situation with Kakashi helping out in the smaller details.

"You're saying the Fourth Great Ninja War is about to start?" Homaru questioned just to make sure.

"Even if it is Uchiha Madara can he really take on the Five Great Nations?" Koharu questioned. Sonea rolled her eyes and Tsunade slammed her hand on the table.

"Wake up! Uchiha Madara leads Akatsuki. Just one of their members, Nagato was able to destroy Konoha! Have you already forgotten that?!" Tsunade yelled at them and Sonea nearly giggled at this.

"I agree with Tsunade-sama. Akatsuki already have the bijuu from Ichibi to Nanabi. If they intend to use them as military weapons then we must consider their strength to be far greater than Nagato's." Kakashi said.

"And if that's the case the Five Great Nations no, the entire world is in danger of ruin. We cannot delay action for much longer." Tsunade said.

"All right. Do you know where Uchiha Madara is?" Homaru asked.

"We have a general idea of the location. The Mitarashi unit just reported in and they confirmed spotting someone who fits the description of Uchiha Madara. They are presently working to get more solid Intel." Shikaku informed them.

"Now, onto more pressing matters… Raven, please show yourself." Tsunade ordered and Sonea stepped out of the shadows and stood calmly just behind Tsunade's chair. "Please remove your mask." Tsunade ordered as she pushed her chair out a little and Sonea reluctantly removed her mask and clipped it onto her belt with some whispers around the room. "Sonea Storm Shadow here is as vital to this war as the last two jinchuuriki, her secret is highly classified and so I cannot tell you many details but she is just as vital as Naruto and Killer Bee… Keep that in mind." Tsunade warned and got slightly frightened nods from most of the room.

"You do not need to know much details except that I'm a key piece to the finalisation of their plan and I am connected to the bijuu." Sonea explained as she swiped her hand across her eyes to release the genjutsu. "I can confirm by my eyes that they have seven bijuu and a partial piece of the Hachibi's power." She explained and then transformed fully to Jyuubi chakra mode and the shinobi had wide eyes as her aura felt like she was choking them in that small room. "They want this as well as the last two bijuu and so this war is not to be taken lightly this is the first time anyone has succeeded in their plans so far. That is all I have to say Tsunade-sama." Sonea said, stepping back into the shadows again.

A few other matters were discussed and everyone was dismissed as Kakashi and Sonea followed Tsunade back to her office where Tsunade told Sonea to sit on her desk so she could check her over. Kakashi and Tsunade also examined her remaining seal and said how it was a wonder how it hadn't broken yet and Sonea had to agree with that. She moved to explain what happened with her coma and Danzo as well as what she told the Kage's at the summit and Sonea was a bit disheartened afterwards.

"Right now, your situation is in a bad position Sonea. There is too much natural chakra entering your body that it is causing damage to you chakra network but at the same time you are using too much chakra to stay awake for long as the repairing to you network is sapping your chakra to such weak and dangerous levels… It truly is a wonder how you are here right now." Tsunade said with amazement.

"I think the exact same thing, after the mission to Mount Kusaragi it's a wonder how I survived that and afterwards and even now. I want the Force to use my circle members to their fullest for the war and anything else, they are yours to control and they understand this… I'm glad you're back Tsunade." Sonea said with a smile as Sakura, Yamato and Shikamaru walked in and waited for their leader to inform them.

"Shortly I will make an announcement to everyone in the village about the impending Fourth Great Ninja War… You didn't know this yet Sakura but Uchiha Madara has declared war. It's not a war between nations this time. The Five Great Nations have joined forces for this war the likes of which has never been seen." Tsunade told her.

"The enemy is…" Sakura asked.

"None other than Akatsuki. When the fighting breaks out many will be stricken with anxiety. It will be your job to monitor their mental state. Circulate among each team and report anything that you deem necessary. Do not hide anything. Also make sure you keep an eye on Naruto. I cannot have him acting recklessly. In this war Akatsuki's goal is Naruto." Tsunade ordered the group before Shizune walked in and reported Naruto missing. He was soon found and told everyone he was reverse summoned by Fukasaku.

"Fukasaku-sama could have at least notified me first." Tsunade said with annoyance.

"Still, it's a relief that you're okay Naruto." Kakashi said.

"The Giant Gramps Sage had a prophecy for me too. I'm gonna go to some resort and encounter an octopus." Naruto told everyone. Everyone was confused and Sonea laughed at how Naruto said it.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Kakashi asked with confusion.

"Well, this octopus is gonna cooperate with me some how. Giant Gramps Sage didn't know either. And he said I'm going to end up fighting Sasuke… But I'm already prepared for that. Just let me deal with Sasuke." Naruto said with some strained emotion as he turned and left with Sakura and Yamato following afterwards and Sonea was about to do the same when she got dizzy. She could see Tsunade and Kakashi panicking but couldn't hear them as her vision became fuzzy and she felt her gravity shift and hit something hard, the last thing she remembered was the wooden floor running vertically along her vision and then black, she had passed out or someone knocked her out. She was taken to the hospital and put under observation but Tsunade had to go to the conference and it would be a week before she returned and so Shizune and Sakura were put on the job.

_It was her versus Madara who now had the rinnegan… His chakra was so dark and evil, even the Jyuubi kept quiet about it. She could feel her body shutting down, hit after hit from Madara and she could do nothing to stop him._

'_Worthless… You have become soft Sonea Storm Shadow and lived an immortal life but now you will die by my hands and Tsuki no Me will be complete with this… You never deserved such power after acting so high and mighty while the Uchiha suffered.' Madara said down to her but all she could do was smile in the face of death as a chakra rod slid out from him and was stabbed right through her heart. She watched her last few seconds… Yes, this time she would pass the stage of pain and pass on into death's capable hands. Madara was laughing… The world was his now and Sonea failed her last though strayed to her friends who were still fighting the inevitable… Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Yamato the Rookie eleven and their remaining senseis, Tsunade, Shizune and lastly Kakashi she said her good bye as she lost focus and then nothing but black silence, she had died._

Pain… Unbelievable ripping pain as her chest jerked upwards with a cough and blood covered her oxygen mask, she couldn't breath as her throat constricted around the liquid pouring from it and out of her mouth and her heart beating irregularly as she breathed her blood into her lungs. She finally had enough sense to rip the mask off and roll over so the blood could drain out and onto the floor… Still, no breath came, her lungs were burning and she could feel herself getting light-headed from the lack of oxygen and the amount of blood she was loosing… It seemed her eyes were bleeding as well, so it wasn't a dream, it was a vision of her death. She was oblivious to the medics, trying to heal her as she watched the sticky crimson substance leak from her. Her body began gasping and jerking as she tried to breath but just inhaled more blood, her vision began tunnelling, a hard pat on her back and blood fell out in a giant drop and she took a deep and painful breath in as she was moved gently to lay back onto the bed, still gasping and coughing little specks of blood now but at least she could breath.

Her body felt numb and she still couldn't see because of the blood coming from her eyes still and she didn't feel someone cleaning her up. Eventually her hearing came back to her and she heard Tsunade talking to her and the hum of her healing chakra.

"Come on girl, breath… That's it, nice slow and deep breaths… Shit, Sakura!" She heard her shout as more pain ripped through her abdomen. Her body arched up from the pain as her breath caught in her throat again as she could feel the warmth of blood coming up again and she was tilted over her bed again as it flowed out again… At least her vision was clearing up. She gave up on panicking to breath as she stared at the red floor, it would be stained that colour if they left it like that. She felt a hard pat again and she was breathing again and placed back onto her bed, her breathing returned and she felt tired again.

"Sonea focus… Can you talk?" Tsunade asked her and she tested her throat by clearing it and then wincing in pain and Tsunade took it as a no. "Okay look here, just follow my finger." She said as she shone a torch into her eyes and placed a finger that she moved from side to side and Sonea followed the movement. "Thank goodness, you didn't suffer any mental damage, she is fully aware. Do you know what happened?" Tsunade asked gently and Sonea weakly shook her head. "Your body went into a state of panic and passed out with hyperventilation. I brought you here and placed you under observation. I just got back from my conference when I was called here for you. Your organs began to rupture from the stress that your accumulated natural chakra placed on your body. You woke up and began coughing up blood but your body also began to rapidly heal itself, causing your second round of coughing blood but your body has slowed the healing now and you should be fine." Tsunade said with a small smile. Sonea raised her hand weakly and asked in ANBU code 'How long have I been out for'. "Six days. I've only just returned from the conference in Kumo. It's been decided that Naruto and you will be moved to a secret place in Kaminari no Kuni called Turtle Island but Naruto will think he is on an S-ranked mission since he would freak if he found out about our true intentions and you'll meet the Hachibi jinchuuriki there. I want you to stay here until you move, as you'll be travelling by sea for safety measures." There was always a possibility of dying in war but it's worse, knowing that you're going to die. Tsunade left the room and Sonea fell asleep crying.

_Sonea sat in her mindscape and watched the Jyuubi struggle continuously. She sat cross-legged with her elbow on her knee supporting her head in her palm. She sighed, she had no idea how much time she had spent in there and she knew she wasn't dead… No she was on the brink of death as she had been there many times before, she had to stay alive for the world to survive. _

'_Human… Let me out, you have no hope now, I shall be resurrected and the world shall be mine once more.' The Jyuubi roared down at her and she blew some hair out of her face boldly._

' _And how many times have I told you that I'm not going to since I arrived… You've never been this talkative before Jyuubi, why the sudden change?' Sonea asked._

'_I sense the uproar in your world and I can feel my time is coming where I shall destroy once again.' It said confidently._

'_No pun intended but over my dead body… What's happening out there since I'm here baby sitting you?' Sonea asked it as she studied her nails for the umpteenth time._

'_War is on the horizon human and I shall be the end to it.' It roared with confidence._

'_Right…' She said unconcerned. _

'_Are you not worried for your precious world?' The Jyuubi asked with confusion_

'_Well, my logic is a bit twisted… The longer I stay here means that your 'prophecy' won't come true and I have all the time in the world so yeah, I'm not worried.' Sonea said with a shrug._

'_You really are an interesting Human girl… Very well, I shall let you return to your world and watch your outcome and I shall give you no problems.' Jyuubi said with amusement and Sonea raised an eyebrow as she was pulled from her mindscape with the Jyuubi laughing humorously behind her._

Her eyes fluttered painfully as she regained consciousness back into the world and there was one person standing there she was happy to wake up to.


	23. Chapter 23

When she woke up again, her throat felt better but her insides felt like they had been pulled out and played with before being put back in. She moved a bit and could smell the soap that they had used on her and the different smell of the room, they had cleaned and moved her and a familiar scent hit her nose and her eyes flew open to look into Kakashi's dark grey one, reading his Icha Icha. Her heart warmed but then dropped cold as she remembered her vision and it felt like it dropped like a cold hard rock, making her choke and gasp slightly, pulling Kakashi's attention to her as she wiped the blood from her mouth as her body kept repairing the damage.

"Are you in pain? Should I get Tsunade-sama?" He asked with panic as he hovered over her and brushed away a few stands of hair while examining her.

"No." She choked out brokenly through her hoarse voice as she held her arms out to him. She moved over and he lay next to her and pulled her against his side gently, again he had already removed his flak jacket and hitai-ate before lying down and Sonea had missed it. She clenched her hands into his jonin vest and pushed as close and as intimately as she could against him and tried to forget about her vision. Kakashi could feel her wiggling ever so slightly, trying to get closer to him as the wave of need washed from her onto him.

"What's wrong love?" He finally asked and she buried her face into his chest but he could still understand and hear her.

"I'm going to die soon." She said gasped out with a slight sob but she refused to cry.

"We established this nearly four years ago. Don't tell me you're worried about the war, its fine we're going to win, there is too much at risk to loose." Kakashi tried to reassure her and she snapped back with a light punch to his chest.

"You idiot, I had a vision and I'm going to die at the hands of Madara and they haven't been proven wrong, I will die in this war." Sonea said harshly as she looked up into his mismatched eyes with seriousness.

"Yes and I might die too… This is war, it's unpredictable and you've said it before, fate could change within a second, we're it's bitches remember?" Kakashi said, trying to lighten the atmosphere. Sonea huffed and twisted away from him and tried to move out of his hold to stand up and think but he held on tight as he tucked himself in behind her.

"You won't die, I would have probably foresaw it." Sonea said with irritation.

"You're right, I won't die because every enemy I face, I'll be thinking about coming home to you and I'll return alive, I promise, I will try until my last dying breath and that's all I ask of you Sonea." He said in a low tone into her ear. "Promise me you will try." He begged her with emotion leaking through his voice, making it shake slightly. He nearly missed her quiet response back between her sobs.

"I promise, I'll try to return to you until my dying breath Kakashi." She whispered and calmed down a bit after saying it and became strangely peaceful. She looked up at him as she slowly pulled down his mask and scooted up to be face to face with him and closed in slowly as they began to kiss, all of her emotion and need flowing from it as she slipped her tongue into his mouth, which surprised him, but he enjoyed it as he won dominance. Kakashi's mind snapped at what was happening and he was out from under her in a second and leaning against the wall of the small room, breathing heavily with his eyes screwed shut and his tips of his fingers digging into the wall as he restrained himself. Sonea sat on her bed and was still breathless as she watched him with confusion. His mismatched eyes opened to lock with her confused ones to explain himself.

"You're weak right now, we're in a hospital and war is looming… I know you only want me more right now after that vision and I don't want our first time to be out of such need and circumstances. I want to take my time, learning to please you not something like this… Please understand love… I love you." He said pleadingly, wanting her to understand.

"But what if we don't get another chance like this again Kakashi… I understand your point but… We may never get this opportunity again." Sonea said back.

"I know but this will only give us incentive to stay alive and kick fates butt." Kakashi said with a wink and Sonea smiled with a blush and gave in.

"Fine, but you're staying with me until I leave and I promise I will be good." She said with a sly and shy smile and gestured for Kakashi with a come hither movement back to the bed. They lay back in each other's arms comfortably and began to fall asleep. "I love you Hatake Kakashi." Sonea said with a smile as she fell asleep and Kakashi's heart jumped with joy… She had finally said it and he slept peacefully. He stayed by her side as much as he could and they talked about Itachi, His past, her past, his team, her circle and how amazing this war will be and three days passed by in a blur and before she knew it, she was standing at the villages gates with Naruto, Yamato, Aoba and Guy, ready to leave.

She was the last to arrive at the gate when the familiar chakra whiffed by her and she turned around to see Kakashi standing there, one hand in his pocket as he gave his two-fingered salute with an eye smile. They had said their good byes the night before but Sonea couldn't stop the skip in her heart as she ran to him and glomped him for one last kiss through his mask.

"Alright you two, enough touchy feely, we need to get going." Yamato complained but Kakashi just laughed into the kiss and tightened his hold on her as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and entangled her hands into his hair, standing on the balls of her feet. Sonea laughed into the kiss as she heard Naruto's gagging noises and Guy saying along the lines of youthful love… or was that lovers? She couldn't tell and didn't care. She felt arms wrapping around her waist as did Kakashi and Sonea whined as they were pulled apart, Kakashi being held by guy and Sonea being carried off by Naruto.

"You know for someone as weak as you right now, you sure can hold on tight." Naruto mocked as Sonea waved over his shoulder at Kakashi while Kakashi waved back in his cool pose again, saying a few words to Guy before they were out of sight and Guy came running up to catch up.

"You can put me down now. I'm not that weak." Sonea complained, laying her head on his shoulder, almost being carried like a child.

"No way, this is way more fun." Naruto said with a laugh as in one fluid movement he threw her onto his back and his pack on the front of his body as Sonea yawned.

"You've gotten really strong and I'm proud of you." She said sleepily as she rested her head on his shoulder and fell asleep.

The journey was interesting, they met a giant fish, met Sakura, Ino and Choji on an island collecting herbs for the war, exchanged scary stories and found a ghost ship, went up against a military island and won, found some weird island that had some weird creature on it and killed it, nearly died from starvation by mushrooms for two weeks, went up some people claiming to be Naruto as a money scheme, found out a village with only females in it and Naruto was nearly forced to marry one of them because of Jiraiya and went through some hellish storms before they finally hit the last stretch.

Sonea took the trip in her stride but slept most of the time with Naruto as her personal heater where they talked most of their days away. It was a lot about Sasuke and Sonea began to understand a bit about why Naruto was so close to him and wanted him back… It was sweet and Sasuke better wake up soon before Sonea kicked his ass for him. She listened with nostalgia as she lay upon the mast one calm night as Guy explained his and Kakashi's rivalry and she nearly fell of a few times with laughter and Naruto decided to go to sleep and Sonea dozed off a bit too. She woke up to explosions on the water and couldn't believe her eyes that Guy was fighting Kakashi as she watched on with Yamato and Aoba.

"You guys had to tell him that story of that transformation jutsu that can change chakra too didn't you?" Sonea mused as the boat rocked from another explosion. (A/N watch Naruto Shipuuden episode 241 for reference… I love that episode!)

"That doesn't sound like something trivial, let's go." Yamato said and Aoba and him jumped over and they exchanged a few words. Sonea knew by their bond that it was the real Kakashi but she leaned her elbows on the railing and watched as Yamato and Aoba took Kakashi's side and wondered what would transpire next. Guy released his sixth gate of joy and began attacking with Asakujaku and Sonea sighed as the mist covered her vision as she headed over carefully, using her rippling sharingan to their full advantage.

"Just what proof do you have that I'm an impostor?" Kakashi's voice asked, floating through the mist.

"I'll tell you. It has to do with our battles as eternal rivals. There is no way you would get the win-loss record of our battles wrong." Guy said.

"It's 51-50 in my favour, there's no mistake. Or maybe you're just bitter that I took the lead after the last match." Kakashi said as she saw them come into view properly and stood calmly behind Guy.

"What? So you were watching that battle from somewhere?" Guy said.

"How should I put it, I'm the real one." Kakashi said and Guy laughed fakely.

"That match tied us 50-50." Guy said.

"No, you're wrong. There was the sushi-eating contest after that. Where I won right?" Kakashi said and realisation came over Guy.

"I forgot about that! No! You must have been watching that from afar too." Guy said stubbornly as Yamato walked up to them.

"Will you cut it out?" Yamato whined.

"You almost killed us." Aoba whined as he also came into view.

"Then do you want me to reveal your secret? The one only I would know?" Kakashi asked as he huddled Aoba and Yamato in and began whispering but Sonea could hear it over the completely calm night. She walked away laughing with a red face back to the boat as the situation was diffused.

"It's not like that anymore! That was back when I was a kid!" Guy yelled out and Sonea let her laugh slip as she jumped back onto the boat and onto the mast again to relax.

"How are things back in the village?" Guy asked which caught Sonea's attention as she opened one eye, lying back on the mast.

"Well things have gotten a bit complicated. I'll contact you again once it's all decided." Kakashi said and then looked up at the mast.

"By the way, are you going to see Naruto before you leave?" Guy asked as Kakashi brought his gaze back down.

"No, he has you with him." Kakashi said as he looked up again and Sonea smiled down at him as he turned towards the front of the boat. "Guy. If anything were to happen to me you'll rush over right?" Kakashi asked.

"Damn right I will. Don't worry about that." Guy said and she saw his posture relax slightly before he whistled and Sai came past and they flew back to Konoha. Sonea went back to sleep with Naruto after he woke up, having thought he heard Kakashi's voice.

A few days later Naruto and Sonea stopped an international crisis about an anti alliance force and they reached Kaminari no Kuni boarders and back onto another ship moving for Turtle Island.

Sonea watched the Kumo nin buzzing around and Naruto looking down into the water calling for an octopus and Sonea smiled with nostalgia. One of the nin began explaining about the island when a giant squid showed up, Sonea sighed, couldn't they have one day of their trip that was normal she stood up and took her place next to Yamato as the squid picked up Naruto. She sensed the Hachibi before anyone actually saw it and she cowered back and growled at her weakness. The squid gave up and swam away while the Hachibi turned into a buff and tanned man with eight swords and Samehade on his back, wearing the usual Kumo uniform with sunglasses. The island came into view and Sonea's eyes lit up… It was Turtle Island where she had originally learned to control the Jyuubi as the seals began to break from her memories easier and the island hadn't changed one bit.

"Welcome everyone. I've been waiting for you. I am supervisor Motoi and I'll take care of your needs. I'll take you to your lodgings so please follow me." A man called from the island. After Aoba fetched Guy they moved onto the island as they made their way through a rich forest. Sonea was like a kid in a candy store as she noted how much the island had changed and was now inhabited by large animals where Killer Bee was the top dog around there. They reached a Hachibi shaped building in a wall where they would be staying for the time being.

"Konoha can use this floor. There are ample rooms. Eat all that you want in the great dining hall on the first floor. Choose whatever rooms you want. We'll adjourn until the meeting tomorrow morning at seven. Do you have any questions?" Motoi asked them and they answered with a no and went off to their rooms.

"Motoi-san, if you don't mind, I would like to see a medic if it is okay with you." Sonea asked tiredly.

"You must be Sonea Storm Shadow… Right, this way, please follow me." Motoi gestured and she followed him.

"This island has changed a lot since the last time I was here. Kumogakure has taken good care of it and I must thank you." Sonea said with gratitude.

"You have been here? When was the last time you were here if I may ask?" Motoi asked her.

"Um… Like nearly six hundred years ago when the dragons use to inhabit this island, I also trained here with them to use the Jyuubi's yin chakra during that time, I'm glad life has flourished on this island." Sonea said as they entered the infirmary.

"Wow, six hundred years ago huh? That is some interesting things to learn… Here's a nurse to care for you. I'll see you around." Motoi said as he left. Sonea had a few minor injuries and left to find a room and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She woke up to someone knocking on her door and was surprised to see Killer Bee standing there and watching her. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes before looking straight at him.

"Do you need something Killer Bee-san?" Sonea asked tiredly.

"Gyuki wants to speak with you." He said plainly. Sonea sighed and touched her fingers to his forehead to enter his mindscape, which was empty and black except for Gyuki and Bee sitting on his nose.

'_Long time no see Hachibi.' Sonea said calmly._

'_Yes, it's good to see you too mother.' Gyuki said back to her. 'I have told Bee everything about you already so we can speak freely, will you listen to me?' He asked calmly._

'_Go ahead, your siblings have already ripped at me in the past so it's only fair that you get your turn as well.' Sonea said tiredly._

'_I don't hate you. Bee made me realise something when I came to trust him. I realise now that you only left to protect us and the world and I forgive you, you were only following what father asked of you and to save yourself. It's not like you told the Uchiha to use us and play with us besides we shouldn't have trusted him even when he said he was father's son but we did and they hurt us and turned us into hateful beings… We chose our own path like you asked and this is where it got us, I do not hate you for it as you were in your own predicament and I only blame the person who betrayed our trust. I want to start over with you mom with Bee.' Gyuki asked and Sonea was dumbfounded._

'_I… Gyuki, I don't deserve your trust, I failed what father asked of me and now there are only two of you left and I'm dying from it like I deserve to.' Sonea said with hard disbelief and Gyuki snorted._

'_That's exactly why, I want to know my mom before I loose the chance, I forgive you.' Gyuki said, heartfelt. Sonea felt like a weight had been taken off of her chest and she laughed with happy tears._

'_Thank you, you don't know what a weight this has taken off of me, I've felt guilty my entire existence about leaving you guys alone and I've been attacked and told with poison about how much you all hate me, the only one who never attacked me was Choumei, Shukaku and Saikon and now you and I really thank you for it.' Sonea said as her tail whipped out and placed itself against Gyuki's face and he leaned slightly into it._

Bee and Sonea opened their eyes after leaving his mindscape and Sonea genuinely smiled and felt happier than she had in a while, what she couldn't see was a spark of life return to her eyes and facial features.

"Thank you for that Killer Bee-san. My name is Sonea Storm Shadow, the jinchuuriki of the Jyuubi's Yin chakra." Sonea said with a smile that he returned and he held out a fist, which she bumped happily.

"Yo… Want to wrestle some bears Fool, you fool?" He asked and Sonea gladly accepted and they left. She left Bee to wrestle the bears and watched when they went for a walk and came across the angry squid again. He transformed quickly and went after it again while Sonea joined Naruto and Yamato.

"I'll tell you how I feel… I'm gonna save you for real… That's my deal… That's my spiel… Hachibi and me retake the stage… Knocking the beat up squid right off the page… The rest I won't engage." Bee rapped while he took out the squid. Sonea arrived next to Naruto and they smiled before bumping fists. Bee transformed back and they moved to check on Motoi.

"Bee, why did you save me? Bee-sama, you knew didn't you? That I tried to… kill you. And yet…" Motoi said unable to go on.

"Did that happen? What I remember is me and Motoi. The times I spent with Motoi together… We trained hard together like birds of a feather. We made mistakes but it was no disaster… The two of us always exploding into laughter. The two of us laughing, best friends forever, the times I spent with Motoi together." Bee rapped and then they fist bumped and Naruto was happy. They began to walk back into the forest with Bee leading and Sonea again, walking tiredly behind them.

"Hey, Kyuubi brat, thanks for trying to save Motoi." Bee said and Naruto was walking happily next to him.

"Naruto has the ability to bring people together. Just like Bee-sama." Motoi said.

"Yes, I totally agree." Yamato said.

"I think I need to reconsider ya mate. You're quite a good guy, real top rate." Bee rapped to Naruto.

"Octopops you got the best rap… I'm so happy to know ya, I'm one lucky chap." Naruto tried rapping back to him and Yamato thought the same thing as Sonea about the rapping.

"Yo! Keep the beat." Bee said holding out a fist to Naruto which he bumped back.

"Yo! I'm Naruto, Dattebayo!" Naruto said to him.

"Man it's dattebayo, dattebayo all the time. Shuddup dattebayo. Go to the waterfall of truth. You'll pass with flying colours now." Bee said to Naruto and they made their way to it.


	24. Chapter 24

Naruto sat on the small island and began to meditate and Sonea studied the waterfall. She backed away when she noticed it reflected your inner most demons and growled low in her throat when hers tried to show up. Bee placed a hand on her shoulder and she snapped out of it just as Naruto stood up calmly and smiled back to them.

"It seems…" Motoi said.

"It all went well?" Yamato asked.

"It's too soon to celebrate Fool you fool… Shall we try to control the Kyuubi's power now? From this moment on, I'll be your instructor… Ya better prepare yourself or else you'll suffer death 'n torture… Come with me Naruto." Bee said as he went for the waterfall.

"Um, may I come along?" Yamato asked and Bee said okay. Sonea slung an arm around Naruto as they walked through the waterfall.

"So there was something on the other side of this waterfall." Naruto said and they came to an old temple that Sonea recognised.

"You'll fight the Kyuubi here… Follow me." Bee said as they continued on. She noticed the headless statues and knew it was probably Sora's idea to put them in.

"These ruins seem to be quite old." Yamato observed. "They have archeological importance, they should be restored."

"No, Those stone statues were carved with out heads to begin with. There's a reason to it. Do you think it's something that can be controlled without doing something excessive? Fool ya fool. Since long ago this has been a sacred place where those selected as jinchuuriki have come to undergo the Purification Ceremony. It's set up here so you can talk to your bijuu in a special way. It's right inside this building. You hear what I say? Only those chosen ones can enter… To be selected. Go and stick your head into the statues mouth like a good man respected. If there isn't any darkness in your heart the door will open… Fully extended. However… If there is even a little darkness in your heart the gate will not part. Do you consent? And the statue will rip your head off and tear you apart. Are you content? All the headless statues you saw on your way here are past jinchuuriki who weren't sincere." Bee explained and Naruto stepped up to the challenge while Yamato watched on anxiously.

He stuck his head in and you could see the sweat running down Yamato's face as Naruto stayed there for a while and began to scream and struggle. Yamato rushed over and pulled out a headless Naruto. He began to freak out before Naruto pulled his jacket down to reveal his head and Sonea was laughing hard. Yamato yelled at him as the door opened to a familiar room with pinks and blues and yellows swirling in it.

"Go inside, close your eyes and focus. Just like at the waterfall then you'll meet your bijuu. This a little different Okay?" Bee said as he began walking inside and they followed. "Listen to me very carefully. I'll give you an explanation… Naruto, what kind of sealing jutsu was used on your Kyuubi? Please answer my question." Bee asked.

"It's a tetragram seal." Yamato said.

"A tetragram seal huh? That's even more impressive and solid than my steal shell seal. Do you have the key?" Bee asked and Naruto nodded.

"You're going to undo the seal huh? What if he can't control it properly? What if the Kyuubi revives completely?" Yamato asked.

"We'll seal him away in here. That's what this place was built for as well. Until we get a new jinchuuriki, this is where we'll seal him in. You got a problem with this? No booin'." Bee rapped.

"But…" Yamato began.

"That won't happen. Because I'm going to do this." Naruto said with determination.

"Okay, I'm going to shut the door. And I'll show you how to deal with the Kyuubi." Bee said as he shut the door and they sat down and bumped fists and concentrated.

"Hey Yamato, don't worry so much, you'll get wrinkles… Besides, Naruto is strong and he has Bee to help him, everything will work out fine." Sonea said as she put a hand on his shoulder. Bee stepped away as the demon cloak formed and Naruto began to loose.

"Sonea, can't you help him?" Yamato begged and she shook her head.

"I can only push it back into its cage but it has been opened now, I have no chance, we have to trust Naruto." Yamato tried his suppressing technique but nothing was working until his transformation to the second stage jinchuuriki stopped and Sonea felt a familiar chakra.

"Good job Yamato." Bee said.

"No that wasn't me. Naruto stopped it all by himself. But is it okay to leave things like this?" Yamato asked.

"Right now Naruto and the Kyuubi are in a confrontation. It better be settled soon. We want it to meet our hopeful expectations. All this waiting is so drawn out. To pass the time why don't we work out?" Bee rapped.

"This isn't the time to be rapping!" Yamato yelled at Bee.

"Shaddup! Right now Naruto is locked in an internal battle with the Kyuubi. We cannot help him any further. If you really care about Naruto's well being all we can do now is to have faith in him and wait." Bee said calmly which reassured Yamato.

"Besides, I think he is getting some internal help anyway." Sonea said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Yamato asked.

"Remember when he said that he met his dad during Pain's invasion… Well, right now I'm sensing his mom's so I think she's helping him out… It should end soon." Sonea said with a smile as the demons cloak vanished and Sage mode appeared again and Sonea collapsed with intense pain on her seal but Naruto caught her as she fell in his Kyuubi chakra mode that was orange. She didn't even notice it was her that was screaming as her seal began to rip and burn at her skin as the Jyuubi shrieked inside of her head… She even wondered if this is what dying feels like before… Calmness and exhaustion came over her. She was breathing heavily as Naruto helped her to sit up and she literally jumped when she saw blonde hair instead of her black hair. She stood up and created a shadow clone, which had her blonde hair and blue eyes and the clone turned around, moved her hair and the seal was once again complete. The clone poofed out of existence and she closed her locket. She stared for a while, not believing what had happened and she began to smile and laugh a little.

"Naruto, do you know what you've just done?!" Sonea grabbed him excitedly by the shoulders and he had wide eyes and shook his head. "You changed Fate! We will win now…" Sonea said happily but Naruto sensed something as did Sonea now that she wasn't under strain and pain anymore. "You sense that too." Sonea said to him and he nodded.

"Yeah, you think that you're hidden?" Naruto said to Samehade.

"Do you sense some other chakra around?" Yamato asked as they looked around.

"He senses another's proximity… That I couldn't, was hasty of me." Bee said.

"It's not chakra… It feels hazy, something sinister. That's it! That thing!" Naruto pointed to Samehade. It hopped off of Bee's back and Kisame's head appeared.

"It seems you can sense hatred and feelings of evil. The limitations of sensory types don't apply. Is that the power of a jinchuuriki who has mastery over the Kyuubi?" Kisame said.

"You're the shark guy of Akatsuki. How? I though we chopped his head off a ways back. How did you manage to escape our tag team attack?" Bee asked.

"I simply switched out while we battled inside the bubble of water. You cut off my clone's head." Kisame explained.

"Clones disappear when they're struck. The corpse remained post mortem no question. As if someone else had transformed into you, C would have sensed it. So it's a perplexing consternation." Bee said to him.

"It was a special kind of clone. A parasitic clone that I can manipulate remotely. Anyway, enough about this subject… Now then two jinchuuriki, a wood release user and one powerful Kunoichi, I'm in a serious predicament." Kisame said as he hit a switch, which opened the door. He moved for it but Naruto moved with amazing speed and hit Kisame. He continued to run but Naruto got his foot caught with the amount of power he used.

Sonea and Bee both ran after Kisame but as he escaped the waterfall Guy kicked him hard and Bee told them that he is an Akatsuki spy. Unfortunately for Kisame, Samehade still liked Bee's chakra and left him to fend for himself. Samehade began biting Bee and they noticed Kisame had escaped under water and was feeding off of Bee's chakra. Sonea grabbed the sword with her chain tails of her Jyuubi chakra mode and pushed him off Bee before he lost too much chakra. Aoba failed to stop him and he began to escape when Guy announced he would go after Kisame and opened the sixth gate of joy.

Sonea walked over to him and he realised what she wanted to do. So she crossed her wrists and Guy took her hands and spun him around and threw him after Kisame. Sonea released Jyuubi chakra mode and collapsed onto one knee. Her body was still weakened from being in demon mode for too long and she trusted everyone else to go after Kisame before he could escape.

Sonea caught up to them and a very beat up Kisame in Yamato's wood release and Aoba performing a mind transfer jutsu to gain some information.

"How are you feeling Sonea?" Yamato asked as they waited.

"Good but with the constant damage from senjutsu, it'll take some time for me to be back at full power so soon hopefully. Nice Hirudora Guy, good job but like Bee said, the blue sweat is kinda unpleasant." Sonea said with a smile and a scrunched up nose. Next thing they knew, Kisame bit his tongue and forced Aoba back as he began to struggle. He broke from the wood holding him and placed himself into a water prison and summoned sharks, which killed him inside of it. Everyone seemed shocked but Sonea watched on with board and hooded eyes… He was a loyal shinobi and died and honourable death because of it, she had seen this circumstance many times in her existence.

"Feeding yourself to the sharks you just summoned… He was already quite weak. He figured out that he couldn't escape us." Aoba said. Yamato fell to his knees with disbelief and wide eyes.

"The Akatsuki member who was paired up with Itachi himself… The one who was feared as the scourge of Kirigakure. It's hard to believe this is the way Hoshigaki Kisame met his end." Yamato said.

"But… He did this so we his enemy, wouldn't get any Intel Even in Akatsuki there was someone who put his comrades first." Naruto said. Guy read Sonea's mind and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder for reassurance.

"He may have been a foe but he died admirably. The measure of a shinobi's life is determined by the manner of his death. Hoshigaki Kisame… I will never forget you… In any case, no Intel was released to Akatsuki." Guy said, holding up a scroll he had taken from Kisame.

"He intended to put down Intel about us into this scroll and get out of here." Aoba pointed out.

"Let's check the contents of that scroll. If we know what kind of data he was after it will make counter intelligence easier." Motoi said as Guy opened the scroll. Sonea saw the trap but couldn't get there quick enough as they all got trapped in a water prison and Sharks appeared to eat them. They all began to wrestle with the sharks but Sonea had entered Jyuubi chakra mode and was holding the shark with her chain tails. She sat in the water with her legs crossed like she really was sitting with her arms crossed and a concentrated scowl. She let water natured chakra slip into the prison and when she had enough in the water, she activated it and broke the prison and the shark disappeared. She soon broke everyone else out of the prison and Bee and her went after the shark that had escaped with Intel but it was already long gone.

They arrived back to the group and Sonea noticed the messenger bird the Motoi was about to send out and she smirked with excitement… Sure she wanted to stay but they could take care of themselves besides, she wanted to visit a few people and show the Kage her seal and what it means.

"Hey, Motoi-san, I'm going back with your bird to Kumogakure, I want them to see my seal… Don't worry I'll be fine now just take care of Naruto and Bee… I'll be back when the war starts." Sonea said excitedly and Motoi and Aoba reluctantly let her go. She said a quick good-bye and a small excuse before following the bird back to Kumo.

It felt good to feel free of pain again as her white wings and tail reflected against the blue ocean before she hit land and next thing she knew she was flying over Kumo with all nations located there with ninja, ready for war. It brought a smile to her face as she watched everyone work together, she even swooped down and caught a crate that fell and placed it back before heading to the room in the Raikage's Tower that held all six big and familiar chakra's and slipped into the shadows of the room to listen.

"To arrive here to find that Intel has been leaked. We'll have to rethink our strategy. But as long as they know that the Allied Shinobi Forces are aware of the leak they will watch the situation. Perhaps it will be easier to lay some traps." Ohnoiki suggested.

"What about the island? Even if it's mobile we can't let our guard down. Those three are their targets. They are sure to come in search of them." Tsunade stressed.

"I established an escape route just for situations like this. In addition the clouds hide it. The enemy will not be able to find it." A reassured them.

""If they come searching the enemy will probably send a small reconnaissance team first. They won't try and divide our troupes will they?" Mei asked with concern.

"There's no doubt Kisame put the coordinates on the map. Even if we move them they'll search the area thoroughly. We can't loose focus." Gaara stressed.

"In any case, send reinforcements. But it will be meaningless if the enemy spots us mobilizing large groups. Send a few of the elite." Mifune suggested.

"I will go!" Ohnoiki announced and pulled his back with a loud crack.

"Before you go…" Sonea said from the shadows and they all stood to defend themselves. "Whoa… Calm down, I'm friendly remember." She said as she slipped from the shadows and floated down like an angel with her hair flaring out a little as she touched down on the floor. They all stayed tense but Tsunade was shocked.

"S… Sonea? Is that you?" Tsunade asked and everyone in the room was shocked. "What are you doing here?! You should be on the island and be protected, not out on your own joy ride brat!" She yelled and Sonea laughed with a carefree tone, which shocked Tsunade more. "You're not using your locket anymore." Tsunade pointed out and Sonea smiled warmly at the group as they relaxed back into their chairs and waited for an explanation.

"Naruto has managed to gain control over the Kyuubi's chakra and suddenly, my seal fixed itself and I was able to revert back to my normal form as I am now." Sonea explained.

"What does that mean Sonea-san?" Gaara asked coolly.

"It means that the Jyuubi should not be resurrected anytime soon and it is a good sign for the war coming up however fate can still change in a split second… Keep that in mind oh and Ohnoiki, I'm sorry for your back, I think I kicked it out during the second war… I think." Sonea said as she pointed to her chin and looked up trying to remember.

"Ah! You did! I remember now, you forced the forces to pull back and won the war with that kick!" Ohnoiki said with surprise and A's eyes lit up as well.

"You were with the Yondaime Hokage when my brother and our forces came to invade… You two made a great team then." A said with nostalgia.

"Anyway… I noticed that moral is a bit low down there… Mind if I liven it up a bit, we're not moving to attack like tomorrow are we?" Sonea asked with excitement. Tsunade smirked as did Gaara and Mei slightly.

"You have three days until the war and preparations are just about complete and a little cheering up would do the force some good so go ahead." A said with a slight smile that surprised her.

"So anyone else want to share a story?" Sonea mocked as they all seemed to think this over.

"I nearly killed Hatake Kakashi once. Sonea-san was there." Darui said, walking closer to the table and Sonea gave him a pout of annoyance.

"That's true but I'll thank you for doing it since it pushed us closer…" . Sonea said and bowed mockingly before she slipped out the window with a smirk as she fell over the side… She could hear a few stories swapping between them about herself and smiled as she sent a silent command to her wolves that were happy to comply… It was going to be a good night.

Her wolves and her landed in the centre and they all exchange happy hello's and excitement as they saw Sonea with blonde hair and blue eyes again before setting up quickly. The sound was set up and they began to perform and sing, pulling people around the camp site where all the shinobi's were staying at that moment to enjoy themselves for a while. It was late afternoon and nearly every shinobi had gathered to enjoy themselves as the nations came together.


End file.
